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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 116 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: present · straw · rash · band · plane · board · bear · cold

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bear — the animal
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. present — there
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. board — a committee
  12. cold — not warm
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. band — a music group
  15. cold — an illness
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. rash — a series
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. board — to get on
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — a gift
  24. band — a ring

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