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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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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: mate · wind · wake · board · straw · stand · key · lean

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. mate — to breed
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stand — to bear
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. lean — to bend
  11. board — to get on
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — in music
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. key — the most important part
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mate — a friend
  19. lean — thin
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mate — a partner
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. stand — on your feet

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