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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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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: dip · band · kick · chest · fall · present · bass · board

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bass — the fish
  4. board — a committee
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. dip — to sink
  8. present — there
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. fall — to drop
  11. kick — in football
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. board — to get on
  14. present — a gift
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. fall — the season
  21. bass — low music
  22. fall — to drop
  23. band — a music group
  24. present — the time now

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