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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. spring — a coil
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. squash — the sport
  5. spring — of water
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. row — to paddle
  8. spring — the season
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. squash — to crush
  11. board — a committee
  12. row — a line
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. hand — in cards
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wake — a trail
  18. hand — help
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. board — to get on
  24. wake — before a funeral

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