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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 124 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a committee
  6. spring — of water
  7. fork — in a road
  8. clip — for paper
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. spring — a coil
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. land — a country
  13. clip — to cut
  14. lean — thin
  15. rock — a stone
  16. clip — a video
  17. bound — certain
  18. land — to come down
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. land — ground
  22. rock — music
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — to bend

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