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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: pound · lean · cabinet · staff · file · board · season · wound

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — thin
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — to get on
  9. wound — an injury
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a document
  15. season — in sport
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — a weight
  19. wound — an injury
  20. file — a tool
  21. staff — employees
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. staff — a stick
  24. pound — for dogs

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