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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: bulb · coach · cold · wind · cabinet · chip · degree · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wind — moving air
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. degree — from a university
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. chip — for betting
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cold — an illness
  16. degree — an amount
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bulb — for light
  19. chip — to eat
  20. degree — temperature
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. board — to get on

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