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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: hand · saw · board · pop · season · roll · bear · track

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. roll — a list
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — music
  8. board — a committee
  9. hand — help
  10. board — to get on
  11. pop — to visit
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. saw — the tool
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bear — the animal
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bear — the animal
  19. season — in sport
  20. saw — the tool
  21. track — a song
  22. season — of the year
  23. roll — a cake
  24. hand — in cards

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