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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: board · cabinet · tube · patient · march · wind · craft · rock

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. board — to get on
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rock — music
  10. craft — boats
  11. wind — moving air
  12. tube — a container
  13. march — the month
  14. tube — the underground
  15. march — the month
  16. wind — moving air
  17. craft — a skill
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. rock — a stone
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. march — music
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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