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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: staff · face · cold · board · rush · prune · bat · safe

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. staff — employees
  3. face — to confront
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. board — a committee
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. face — to point toward
  8. cold — an illness
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cold — not warm
  11. face — part of the head
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. prune — to trim
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. staff — a stick
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. bat — the animal
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. rush — hurry
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. staff — employees

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