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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: row · board · can · band · game · chest · roll · bore

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. row — a line
  3. band — a music group
  4. row — to paddle
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. roll — a cake
  7. chest — of your body
  8. game — a match
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. roll — a list
  11. bore — to drill
  12. can — a tin
  13. chest — a box
  14. band — a ring
  15. chest — of your body
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. can — a tin
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. board — a committee
  22. can — to be able to
  23. board — to get on
  24. game — a kind of play

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