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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: board · cabinet · leaves · nail · hand · rash · roll · content

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. hand — in cards
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. content — the amount
  9. board — a committee
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. roll — a cake
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rash — hasty
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. content — happy
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. board — to get on
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — a series
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. roll — a list
  24. hand — help

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