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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.

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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: face · board · spring · straw · fine · cabinet · clip · mate

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. face — to point toward
  3. board — a committee
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. clip — for paper
  7. fine — all right
  8. mate — to breed
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. spring — the season
  11. mate — a friend
  12. spring — of water
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. mate — a partner
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. face — part of the head
  19. clip — a video
  20. spring — a coil
  21. face — to confront
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. clip — to cut
  24. board — to get on

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