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

Word bank: board · face · band · wind · stick · season

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. wind — moving air
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. face — to point toward
  9. board — to get on
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — in sport
  13. band — a ring
  14. board — a committee
  15. face — to confront
  16. season — of the year
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a music group

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