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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: bay · capital · season · band · rash · bound · board · mug

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. band — a ring
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. capital — money
  5. bound — tied together
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. capital — a city
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. board — to get on
  11. mug — a cup
  12. season — in sport
  13. mug — a face
  14. bound — certain
  15. board — a committee
  16. mug — to rob
  17. rash — a series
  18. band — a music group
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. season — of the year
  24. band — a rubber band

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