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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 · calf · spring · swing · clip · firm · field · lie

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. spring — the season
  3. swing — to play on
  4. spring — a coil
  5. firm — decided
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. spring — of water
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. swing — music
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. clip — a video
  17. firm — a company
  18. swing — in golf
  19. firm — steady
  20. field — a subject
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — to get on
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — to cut

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