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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  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. band — a ring
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pound — a weight
  4. board — a committee
  5. band — a music group
  6. spring — of water
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. spring — the season
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. pop — music
  12. pass — a permit
  13. rest — what's left
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. rest — a break
  16. board — to get on
  17. pop — soda
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spring — a coil
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pop — to visit
  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