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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: lean · board · wave · mate · bark · clip · pop · nail

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. pop — to visit
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. mate — to breed
  6. pop — soda
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. mate — a partner
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. clip — to cut
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. clip — a video
  16. board — a committee
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. mate — a friend
  19. pop — music
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. clip — for paper
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bark — to shout
  24. board — to get on

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