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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: straw · board · cell · wind · capital · leaves · fine · staff

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. board — a committee
  3. staff — a stick
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. fine — all right
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cell — in biology
  11. staff — employees
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. board — to get on
  15. fine — high quality
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. cell — a phone
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. capital — a city
  23. staff — employees
  24. capital — a big letter

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