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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: track · cell · dip · leaves · shower · board · straw · object

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. shower — to wash
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. object — an aim
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a committee
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. object — to protest
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. shower — rain
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. track — a song
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. track — to keep track
  18. object — a thing
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. cell — a phone
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. cell — in biology
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — to sink

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