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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. present — the time now
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. lean — to bend
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. present — there
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. spring — the season
  11. saw — the tool
  12. present — a gift
  13. spring — of water
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — thin
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — the fish
  19. board — a committee
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spring — a coil
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bass — low music

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