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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 · bore · present · pound · land · mate · bass

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. present — a gift
  4. hand — help
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. land — ground
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bore — to tire
  10. present — there
  11. mate — a friend
  12. land — a country
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mate — to breed
  17. board — to get on
  18. present — the time now
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — low music
  23. land — to come down
  24. board — a committee

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