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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 · band · fan · fall · row · cabinet · press · mug

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. board — a committee
  3. row — a line
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. fall — the season
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fall — to drop
  8. band — a music group
  9. mug — a face
  10. press — newspapers
  11. row — to paddle
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. band — a ring
  15. press — to push
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — to get on
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mug — a cup
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. press — a publisher
  23. mug — to rob
  24. cabinet — ministers

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