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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: calf · mate · board · fan · present · track · field · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. track — a song
  3. board — to get on
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mate — to breed
  6. board — a committee
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. present — there
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. mate — a friend
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mate — a partner
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. track — a path
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. band — a ring
  20. field — a subject
  21. track — to keep track
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — a gift
  24. calf — of the leg

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