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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 · cabinet · bound · row · sharp · kick · plane · band

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. board — to get on
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. row — to paddle
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bound — tied together
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. row — a line
  14. band — a ring
  15. kick — in football
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. plane — a tool
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bound — obliged
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. bound — certain
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. band — a music group
  24. board — a committee

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