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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bear — the animal
  5. tear — from crying
  6. board — to get on
  7. tear — to rip
  8. wake — a trail
  9. race — humankind
  10. bear — the animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bulb — for light
  13. tear — from crying
  14. race — a contest
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bulb — for light
  24. calf — a young animal

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