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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: board · cold · face · leaves · wax · perch · cap · present

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. present — there
  3. cold — an illness
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cap — a lid
  6. perch — the fish
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cap — of ice
  10. face — part of the head
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. board — to get on
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. face — to confront
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. face — to point toward
  17. cap — a hat
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. wax — to grow
  21. present — a gift
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. present — the time now

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