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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: pound · last · mine · mate · shower · bank · band · board

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mate — a friend
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bank — for money
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. mate — to breed
  11. last — to go on
  12. bank — for money
  13. pound — a weight
  14. board — a committee
  15. mine — for digging
  16. shower — rain
  17. last — finally
  18. mate — a partner
  19. band — a ring
  20. last — final
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — to get on
  23. band — a music group
  24. bank — of a river

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