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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: suit · stand · staff · shower · row · land · board · clip

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. row — a line
  3. suit — in cards
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. clip — to cut
  6. shower — to wash
  7. row — to paddle
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. staff — employees
  10. shower — rain
  11. land — to come down
  12. clip — a video
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. suit — to fit
  15. staff — employees
  16. stand — to bear
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. board — a committee
  19. land — a country
  20. clip — for paper
  21. staff — a stick
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. board — to get on
  24. land — ground

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