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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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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: squash · lean · tear · spring · board · wave · press · bay

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. press — a publisher
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. press — newspapers
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. squash — to crush
  10. tear — to rip
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. spring — of water
  14. press — to push
  15. board — to get on
  16. lean — thin
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. spring — the season
  19. tear — from crying
  20. lean — to bend
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. spring — a coil
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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