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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: track · straw · leaves · ball · mine · rash · board · bulb

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mine — for digging
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bulb — for light
  10. track — a song
  11. rash — a series
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. rash — hasty
  15. board — to get on
  16. ball — a dance
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a path
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. ball — a round shape

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