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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. band — a ring
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. kid — to tease
  6. board — to get on
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mug — a face
  10. bear — the animal
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bear — the animal
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. band — a music group
  20. rest — what's left
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. rest — a break
  23. mug — to rob
  24. kid — child

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