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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: kick · bay · mine · straw · pass · board · object · spring

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. object — to protest
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pass — a permit
  5. object — an aim
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. spring — the season
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. board — to get on
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. object — a thing
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. board — a committee
  17. kick — in football
  18. spring — a coil
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. spring — of water
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bay — a horse colour

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