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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 120 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 · bass · band · plane · cabinet · bound · wound · court

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. wound — an injury
  8. court — for sport
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. plane — a tool
  12. band — a music group
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. band — a ring
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. court — of a king
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. board — to get on
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bass — the fish
  21. board — a committee
  22. bound — certain
  23. court — of law
  24. bound — obliged

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