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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: cap · clip · board · rash · season · fan · scale · straw

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — to get on
  3. cap — a lid
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. scale — in music
  6. clip — to cut
  7. cap — a hat
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rash — a series
  11. clip — for paper
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. scale — size or range
  14. clip — a video
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. season — in sport
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. rash — hasty
  20. board — a committee
  21. cap — of ice
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. season — of the year

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