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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: rush · band · club · foot · board · hand · wax · key

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. board — a committee
  4. key — for a lock
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. club — for golf
  7. wax — to grow
  8. hand — help
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. hand — in cards
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. club — a group
  15. key — the most important part
  16. band — a music group
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. band — a ring
  20. foot — a measure
  21. key — in music
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. club — for dancing

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