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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: board · lean · bank · saw · scale · coach · wind · club

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. wind — moving air
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. club — for golf
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. club — for dancing
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. board — to get on
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. scale — in music
  12. club — a group
  13. bank — of a river
  14. board — a committee
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bank — for money
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lean — thin
  20. saw — the tool
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bank — for money
  23. scale — size or range
  24. wind — moving air

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