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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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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: game · board · cap · foot · fork · spring · lean · suit

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. suit — to fit
  3. board — to get on
  4. cap — of ice
  5. spring — the season
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. foot — a measure
  8. game — a match
  9. spring — of water
  10. cap — a hat
  11. board — a committee
  12. cap — a lid
  13. suit — in cards
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. game — wild animals
  17. spring — a coil
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. fork — in a road
  20. suit — clothes
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — thin
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. board — a flat piece

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