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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: lean · board · straw · wind · season · fine

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. fine — all right
  3. wind — moving air
  4. season — in sport
  5. lean — thin
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. fine — high quality
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — to get on
  14. season — of the year
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. lean — to bend

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