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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. hand — in cards
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. field — a subject
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. hand — help
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. field — for sport
  11. saw — the tool
  12. board — a committee
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. saw — the tool
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. board — to get on
  18. field — farmland
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — the season
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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