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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 116 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · present · last · board · fan · field

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. present — the time now
  4. field — farmland
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. present — there
  10. last — finally
  11. field — for sport
  12. last — final
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. last — to go on
  15. fall — to drop
  16. field — a subject
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. present — a gift

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