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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: board · wind · leaves · stem · bark · last · lash · racket

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. last — to go on
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stem — to come from
  9. last — final
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. wind — moving air
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. last — finally
  22. board — to get on
  23. bark — to shout
  24. wind — moving air

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