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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.

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: hand · bark · lean · present · pass · fall · court · board

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. lean — thin
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — there
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. hand — help
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bark — to shout
  11. court — for sport
  12. fall — to drop
  13. court — of law
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. present — a gift
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. board — to get on
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. board — a committee
  22. court — of a king
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pass — a permit

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