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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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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: wake · bank · cold · board · court · kick · saw · stick

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bank — for money
  4. board — a committee
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bank — of a river
  7. board — to get on
  8. court — of law
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. cold — an illness
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. cold — not warm
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. saw — the tool
  16. kick — in football
  17. court — for sport
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — a trail
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bank — for money
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. court — of a king

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