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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 · wake · leaves · date · race · roll · chest · clip

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. wake — a trail
  4. chest — of your body
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. chest — a box
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. chest — of your body
  10. race — the arms race
  11. clip — to cut
  12. race — a contest
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. roll — a list
  15. date — the fruit
  16. clip — a video
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. race — humankind
  22. clip — for paper
  23. board — a committee
  24. roll — a cake

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