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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. prune — to trim
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. stand — to bear
  7. hand — in cards
  8. spring — of water
  9. court — for sport
  10. hand — help
  11. bulb — for light
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rule — a law
  14. court — of a king
  15. bulb — for light
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. court — of law
  19. spring — the season
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. rule — government
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. board — a committee

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