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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 120 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 · cell · pop · bowl · staff · wake · club · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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. staff — employees
  4. pop — soda
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. club — for dancing
  9. cell — in biology
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mine — for digging
  13. staff — a stick
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for golf
  16. board — to get on
  17. pop — to visit
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. wake — a trail
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pop — music
  24. mine — an explosive

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