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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.

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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: ground · face · hand · saw · season · board · rest · perch

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. board — to get on
  3. ground — crushed
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rest — what's left
  7. season — in sport
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. face — to point toward
  13. season — of the year
  14. face — part of the head
  15. board — a committee
  16. hand — in cards
  17. face — to confront
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rest — what's left
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. hand — help
  22. rest — a break
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — a position

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