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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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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: wave · rash · board · leaves · mouse · straw · cell · saw

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. cell — a phone
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rash — a series
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. board — to get on
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. saw — the tool
  18. board — a committee
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cell — in biology
  23. rash — hasty
  24. wave — of the sea

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