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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. board — a committee
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bank — for money
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — for digging
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bound — obliged
  11. board — to get on
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bank — for money
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. roll — a list
  20. roll — a cake
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. band — a ring
  24. bank — of a river

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