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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: safe · board · staff · leaves · current · wind · bass · hand

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bass — low music
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. current — electric
  5. staff — a stick
  6. board — a committee
  7. hand — in cards
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. wind — moving air
  10. board — to get on
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. current — happening now
  13. staff — employees
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bass — the fish
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. current — of water
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. staff — employees
  24. hand — help

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