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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. spring — the season
  4. board — a committee
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. wind — moving air
  10. band — a ring
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wind — moving air
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. band — a music group
  18. spring — of water

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