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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: board · rush · wax · ball · band · ruler · bear · straw

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bear — the animal
  5. band — a music group
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. ball — a dance
  10. board — to get on
  11. ball — a great time
  12. band — a ring
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rush — hurry

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