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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: field · bark · board · lie · wave · clip · court · toast

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. court — of law
  3. board — to get on
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. court — of a king
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. court — for sport
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. clip — for paper
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. field — farmland
  18. clip — a video
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. toast — bread
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. board — a committee
  23. clip — to cut
  24. lie — to recline

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