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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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Word bank
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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 · cue · tear · nail · rash · field · cabinet · band

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. tear — to rip
  3. band — a music group
  4. cue — a hint
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — to get on
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. cue — for pool
  11. rash — a series
  12. field — a subject
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rash — hasty
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. field — farmland
  20. tear — from crying
  21. band — a ring
  22. cue — a signal
  23. field — for sport
  24. tear — from crying

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