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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 116 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 · saw · ruler · face · file · bear · swing · lean

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. file — a tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bear — the animal
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a document
  9. lean — thin
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lean — to bend
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. face — to confront
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bear — the animal
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. face — to point toward
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a committee
  21. face — part of the head
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — in golf

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