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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: field · stick · cabinet · wake · bat · board · leaves · pop

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. field — a subject
  3. bat — the animal
  4. field — for sport
  5. wake — a trail
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pop — to visit
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. field — farmland
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. board — to get on
  24. leaves — of a tree

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