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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: wind · plane · mate · wound · rock · rush · bass · board

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — a committee
  3. bass — low music
  4. rock — music
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. plane — a tool
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mate — a partner
  13. board — to get on
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. mate — to breed
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — hurry

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