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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: straw · wave · scale · game · board · leaves · season · arm

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. scale — in music
  5. season — in sport
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. board — to get on
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. season — of the year
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — a match
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. scale — size or range

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