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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — to get on
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. perch — the fish
  9. field — for sport
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. clip — for paper
  12. field — farmland
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. tear — to rip
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. clip — to cut
  19. field — a subject
  20. clip — a video
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. vault — a safe
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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