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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: club · season · bark · board · squash · craft · chair · leaves

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. board — a committee
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. craft — a skill
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — to crush
  9. craft — boats
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bark — to shout
  14. season — of the year
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — for golf
  18. season — in sport
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. club — a group
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. board — to get on

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