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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · craft · pop · band · mate · wound · rash · kick

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pop — soda
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pop — to visit
  5. craft — a skill
  6. board — to get on
  7. mate — a partner
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. board — a committee
  10. rash — hasty
  11. craft — boats
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. mate — a friend
  15. kick — in football
  16. wound — an injury
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. wound — an injury
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. rash — a series
  21. band — a ring
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. pop — music
  24. mate — to breed

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