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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — to get on
  3. spring — a coil
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. fine — all right
  7. land — a country
  8. cell — in biology
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. land — ground
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. land — to come down
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. foot — a measure
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. spring — of water
  21. fine — high quality
  22. spring — the season
  23. cell — a phone
  24. foot — the bottom

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