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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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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: squash · wound · wake · net · firm · band · board · deal

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. board — a committee
  3. net — for catching
  4. band — a ring
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wake — a trail
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. board — to get on
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. squash — to crush
  13. wound — an injury
  14. net — in sport
  15. firm — steady
  16. squash — the sport
  17. firm — decided
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. net — after costs
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. band — a music group
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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