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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: hide · band · board · stand · deal · pop · bulb · sharp

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. pop — to visit
  3. board — to get on
  4. pop — music
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. pop — soda
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bulb — for light
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. board — a committee
  15. band — a music group
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bulb — for light
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. sharp — clever
  22. band — a ring
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — to bear

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