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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. band — a ring
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bark — to shout
  9. band — a music group
  10. wake — a trail
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. pass — a permit
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. craft — boats
  16. game — a match
  17. craft — a skill
  18. game — wild animals
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. board — to get on
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. band — a rubber band

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