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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · bat · perch · season · board · hide · present · leaves

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. present — there
  4. perch — the fish
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. board — a committee
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — to get on
  11. bat — the animal
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. present — the time now
  23. season — in sport
  24. plane — a tool

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