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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: wake · rest · scale · racket · season · board · land · straw

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. season — of the year
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. scale — in music
  5. land — to come down
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. board — a committee
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. land — a country
  10. scale — size or range
  11. wake — a trail
  12. season — in sport
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rest — a break
  16. land — ground
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. rest — what's left
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. rest — what's left

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