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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: leaves · bore · march · deal · wave · mine · ball · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. board — to get on
  5. ball — a great time
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. mine — for digging
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. march — the month
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. bore — to tire
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. ball — a dance
  17. march — music
  18. deal — to handle
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. march — the month

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