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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: perch · band · safe · tear · kick · board · game · bound

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. band — a music group
  6. bound — obliged
  7. band — a ring
  8. game — a match
  9. bound — tied together
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. perch — the fish
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. board — to get on
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bound — certain
  16. tear — from crying
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. game — wild animals
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. kick — in football

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