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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 116 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: tube · bark · clip · last · board · lean · bay · scale

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to bend
  3. board — a committee
  4. scale — size or range
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. tube — the underground
  8. scale — in music
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. tube — a container
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — for paper
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. last — to go on
  19. board — to get on
  20. clip — a video
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. lean — to rest against

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