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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: rock · pop · band · land · track · foot · board · shower

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. land — ground
  4. board — a committee
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. band — a music group
  7. rock — a stone
  8. pop — music
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. shower — rain
  11. foot — a measure
  12. pop — to visit
  13. land — a country
  14. band — a ring
  15. track — a path
  16. rock — music
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. board — to get on
  20. shower — to wash
  21. track — to keep track
  22. pop — soda
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. track — a song

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