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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: racket · land · charge · spring · board · lean · clip · fan

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. land — to come down
  3. clip — for paper
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. clip — a video
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. charge — in control
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. board — to get on
  10. spring — a coil
  11. board — a committee
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. clip — to cut
  15. spring — the season
  16. charge — a price
  17. land — a country
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. lean — thin
  21. spring — of water
  22. lean — to bend
  23. land — ground
  24. charge — electricity

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