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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: perch · nail · board · season · foot · chest · racket · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. board — a committee
  4. season — of the year
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. foot — a measure
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. season — in sport
  13. chest — of your body
  14. perch — the fish
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. board — to get on
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. chest — a box
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. chest — of your body
  23. lean — thin
  24. nail — for a hammer

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