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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: tube · mate · last · lean · track · board · clip · hide

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. mate — a friend
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a committee
  7. track — a path
  8. clip — a video
  9. lean — to bend
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. last — final
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. clip — for paper
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. last — finally
  16. track — a song
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. mate — a partner
  20. tube — a container
  21. last — to go on
  22. track — to keep track
  23. mate — to breed
  24. clip — to cut

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