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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: racket · board · wind · bulb · leaves · firm · scale · file

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — to get on
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. file — a line of people
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. scale — in music
  15. bulb — for light
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. board — a committee
  18. firm — steady
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bulb — for light
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. file — a document
  23. firm — decided
  24. file — a tool

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