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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: mark · bass · board · pop · plane · cold · date · press

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a committee
  3. press — newspapers
  4. press — a publisher
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. mark — a trace
  9. date — the fruit
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bass — low music
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — music
  16. press — to push
  17. cold — not warm
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. mark — a grade
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. cold — an illness
  23. pop — soda
  24. bass — the fish

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