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

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. last — to go on
  5. pound — a weight
  6. board — to get on
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. swing — in golf
  10. stem — to come from
  11. last — final
  12. band — a music group
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. board — a committee
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. mine — for digging
  21. last — finally
  22. swing — music
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. band — a ring

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