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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bear · board · fan · cold · ball · cap · lean · land

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. ball — a dance
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. cold — an illness
  8. board — to get on
  9. cap — of ice
  10. lean — to bend
  11. cold — not warm
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bear — the animal
  15. ball — a great time
  16. land — ground
  17. bear — the animal
  18. lean — thin
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. land — to come down
  22. board — a committee
  23. land — a country
  24. cap — a lid

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