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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: fall · tube · bear · craft · rush · pitch · board · wind

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a committee
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a skill
  5. fall — the season
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. tube — the underground
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rush — hurry
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pitch — completely
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. bear — the animal

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