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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. track — a path
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. track — to keep track
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. fall — to drop
  8. staff — employees
  9. bore — to drill
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. fall — the season
  12. board — to get on
  13. spring — of water
  14. band — a ring
  15. bore — to tire
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. staff — employees
  19. board — a committee
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. track — a song
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a music group
  24. fall — to drop

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com