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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 120 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 · safe · straw · plane · present · band · squash · cold

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. board — a committee
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. present — a gift
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. present — there
  9. squash — the sport
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. band — a music group
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. present — the time now
  14. board — to get on
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. cold — an illness
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. cold — not warm
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. band — a ring
  24. squash — the vegetable

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