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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: mine · club · lash · staff · rock · fall · coach · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. staff — employees
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. staff — employees
  7. club — for dancing
  8. staff — a stick
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. rock — music
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mine — for digging
  13. board — to get on
  14. rock — a stone
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. club — for golf
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. club — a group
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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