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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: club · cabinet · fan · land · board · pitcher · dip · wake

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. land — a country
  8. board — to get on
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to sink
  12. land — to come down
  13. club — for dancing
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. club — for golf
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wake — a trail
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. land — ground

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