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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: face · file · board · calf · staff · bass · perch · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. board — a committee
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. staff — employees
  6. bass — low music
  7. face — part of the head
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. board — to get on
  12. face — to confront
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. staff — a stick
  15. face — to point toward
  16. file — a document
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. perch — the fish
  22. staff — employees
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bass — the fish

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