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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 116 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: board · wind · row · spring · sharp · cabinet · fine · cap

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. row — a line
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. sharp — clever
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. row — to paddle
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. board — to get on
  12. cap — of ice
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. spring — a coil
  15. fine — all right
  16. board — a committee
  17. spring — the season
  18. cap — a hat
  19. spring — of water
  20. fine — high quality
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cap — a lid

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