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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: pound · board · nail · march · dip · last · band · date

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. march — music
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. board — a committee
  7. band — a ring
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. march — the month
  10. last — final
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. march — the month
  14. band — a music group
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. dip — to sink
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pound — a weight
  19. last — to go on
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. last — finally
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. date — the fruit

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