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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: nail · cold · coach · current · bay · wind · field · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. current — electric
  3. field — farmland
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cold — an illness
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. current — happening now
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. current — of water
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. field — a subject
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. board — to get on
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cold — not warm
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. field — for sport
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. wind — moving air
  24. coach — a trainer

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