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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: board · hand · band · mate · rock · sharp · trunk · leaves

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. band — a ring
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. board — to get on
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. board — a committee
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. band — a music group
  13. sharp — clever
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. rock — a stone
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. hand — help
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. rock — music
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rock — to move gently

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