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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 120 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: pass · rest · prune · bore · board · land · perch · band

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. rest — what's left
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bore — to tire
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a committee
  8. rest — a break
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bore — to drill
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. land — ground
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. land — a country
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. band — a ring
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. band — a music group
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. land — to come down

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