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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: season · nail · bark · board · lean · rest · file · clip

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. clip — to cut
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. clip — for paper
  5. file — a line of people
  6. season — of the year
  7. file — a tool
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. board — a committee
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. board — to get on
  17. lean — to bend
  18. season — in sport
  19. rest — what's left
  20. clip — a video
  21. file — a document
  22. rest — what's left
  23. lean — thin
  24. rest — a break

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