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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: board · mark · wound · root · rush · wind · club · staff

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. board — a committee
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. staff — employees
  7. mark — a trace
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. staff — employees
  10. club — for dancing
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. wound — an injury
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. rush — hurry
  15. club — a group
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. root — of a word
  19. board — to get on
  20. root — the cause
  21. wind — moving air
  22. staff — a stick
  23. club — for golf
  24. root — of a plant

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