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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: band · march · board · ground · bowl · kick · lash · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. ground — the earth
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. band — a music group
  10. kick — in football
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. march — the month
  13. spell — magic
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. ground — crushed
  16. board — to get on
  17. band — a ring
  18. spell — a short time
  19. ground — a position
  20. board — a committee
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — a dish

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