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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: board · bark · club · dip · chest · rush · band · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. toast — bread
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bark — to shout
  6. board — a committee
  7. dip — to sink
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. club — for dancing
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. band — a ring
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — to get on
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. chest — a box
  19. club — a group
  20. chest — of your body
  21. club — for golf
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. band — a music group
  24. rush — to 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