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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 116 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. board — to get on
  3. lean — thin
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. cap — of ice
  6. race — humankind
  7. pound — a weight
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. cap — a lid
  12. board — a committee
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. race — a contest
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. race — the arms race
  23. cap — a hat
  24. snap — to click

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