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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: plane · straw · board · rule · rash · roll · wake · wind

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. wind — moving air
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. roll — a cake
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — a law
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. wind — moving air
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. board — a committee
  17. wake — a trail
  18. roll — a list
  19. rule — government
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. plane — a tool
  22. board — to get on
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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