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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: leaves · club · firm · bore · board · clip · cabinet · last

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. club — a group
  4. bore — to tire
  5. club — for golf
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. board — a committee
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. last — final
  10. clip — for paper
  11. last — finally
  12. firm — steady
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. board — to get on
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bore — to drill
  18. last — to go on
  19. firm — a company
  20. clip — a video
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. firm — decided
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. club — for dancing

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