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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 · arm · last · leaves · march · staff · ground · can

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. last — final
  5. can — to be able to
  6. march — the month
  7. can — a tin
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. staff — a stick
  10. march — the month
  11. staff — employees
  12. ground — crushed
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. march — music
  15. can — a tin
  16. staff — employees
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. board — to get on
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. arm — a part of something

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