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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. tube — the underground
  3. lean — thin
  4. board — to get on
  5. field — farmland
  6. board — a committee
  7. march — the month
  8. fine — high quality
  9. bulb — for light
  10. court — of a king
  11. march — the month
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. fine — all right
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. tube — a container
  19. field — a subject
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. march — music
  22. court — of law
  23. field — for sport
  24. court — for sport

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