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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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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 · bank · hand · board · saw · last · rush · kid

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. last — final
  3. kid — child
  4. board — a committee
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — for money
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. hand — help
  11. last — finally
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bank — of a river
  16. kid — to tease
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. last — to go on
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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