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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: wind · board · field · plane · bore · object · last · safe

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. last — final
  3. board — to get on
  4. wind — moving air
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. field — for sport
  7. object — to protest
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. wind — moving air
  10. last — to go on
  11. object — an aim
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. board — a committee
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. last — finally
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bore — to drill
  19. field — a subject
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. plane — a tool
  23. bore — to tire
  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