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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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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: bank · snap · board · lean · leaves · toast · fall · tear

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. fall — to drop
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bank — for money
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bank — for money
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. fall — to drop
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bank — of a river
  13. lean — thin
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. toast — bread
  18. fall — the season
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. snap — to click
  21. board — a committee
  22. tear — from crying
  23. board — to get on
  24. lean — to rest against

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