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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 · board · spell · bass · cold · last · chest · mate

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. cold — not warm
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — a committee
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. last — finally
  9. band — a music group
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. spell — magic
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. band — a ring
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — a partner
  18. spell — letters
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. last — final
  22. cold — an illness
  23. last — to go on
  24. mate — to breed

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