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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 116 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: spell · fall · board · current · cabinet · chair · hide · wind

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. current — of water
  3. wind — moving air
  4. board — a committee
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. board — to get on
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — letters
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. current — electric
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. fall — the season
  20. wind — moving air
  21. chair — a leader
  22. current — happening now
  23. spell — magic
  24. cabinet — ministers

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