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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 120 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: band · fall · track · board · leaves · kid · bowl · snap

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. track — a song
  5. board — to get on
  6. fall — to drop
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. band — a music group
  10. track — to keep track
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to click
  13. band — a ring
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. kid — to tease
  16. fall — to drop
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. fall — the season
  19. board — a committee
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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