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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: board · bass · kick · tear · cue · firm · band · drill

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. board — a committee
  3. drill — army training
  4. firm — steady
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. cue — for pool
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cue — a signal
  9. tear — from crying
  10. firm — decided
  11. bass — the fish
  12. firm — a company
  13. kick — in football
  14. tear — from crying
  15. drill — a practice
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. tear — to rip
  19. board — to get on
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. band — a music group
  22. bass — low music
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. drill — the tool

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