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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: lean · board · fine · last · cold · field · bulb · plane

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  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. cold — not warm
  2. cold — an illness
  3. last — finally
  4. board — a committee
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. field — a subject
  10. lean — to bend
  11. last — to go on
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. plane — a tool
  14. field — farmland
  15. last — final
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. fine — all right
  18. field — for sport
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bulb — for light
  21. lean — thin
  22. bulb — for light
  23. lean — to rest against
  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