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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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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: wind · rash · kid · bank · hide · field · board · plane

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rash — a series
  5. board — a committee
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bank — for money
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. kid — to tease
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — a tool
  15. rash — hasty
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. field — for sport
  19. bank — for money
  20. field — a subject
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bank — of a river
  24. field — farmland

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