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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: bank · mine · bowl · wind · key · squash · cue · board

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bank — for money
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. board — a committee
  5. cue — a hint
  6. mine — for digging
  7. board — to get on
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bank — of a river
  10. key — in music
  11. cue — for pool
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — the most important part
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — to crush
  18. squash — the sport
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. cue — a signal
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bank — for money

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