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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: wind · craft · temple · cabinet · roll · row · board · club

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. board — to get on
  5. roll — a cake
  6. craft — a skill
  7. row — a line
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. club — for golf
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. roll — a list
  12. club — for dancing
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. board — a committee
  20. craft — boats
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. club — a group
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wind — moving air

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