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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 120 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: cold · bound · staff · branch · face · board · club · plane

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. staff — employees
  3. board — a committee
  4. cold — not warm
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — a division
  8. plane — a tool
  9. face — to confront
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. bound — tied together
  12. board — to get on
  13. club — for dancing
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. staff — employees
  16. bound — obliged
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — part of the head
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bound — certain
  24. staff — a stick

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