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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. net — in sport
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. clip — for paper
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bulb — for light
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — a phone
  15. net — after costs
  16. bulb — for light
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. clip — a video
  20. net — for catching
  21. board — to get on
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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