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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: wave · board · rest · season · charge · chest · cap · spring

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. rest — what's left
  3. charge — a price
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. cap — a lid
  6. chest — a box
  7. spring — of water
  8. rest — what's left
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rest — a break
  11. board — to get on
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. chest — of your body
  14. season — of the year
  15. charge — electricity
  16. cap — of ice
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. season — in sport
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. cap — a hat
  22. charge — in control
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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