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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: board · season · staff · cue · plane · lean · mark · clip

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. plane — a tool
  3. lean — to bend
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. cue — a hint
  7. staff — a stick
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. staff — employees
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. staff — employees
  14. season — in sport
  15. clip — to cut
  16. cue — a signal
  17. mark — a trace
  18. lean — thin
  19. mark — a grade
  20. clip — for paper
  21. board — a committee
  22. clip — a video
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. cue — for pool

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