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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: foot · rest · band · trunk · board · safe · wound · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. band — a ring
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. foot — a measure
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. rest — a break
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. wound — an injury
  12. board — a committee
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. rest — what's left
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wound — an injury
  17. board — to get on
  18. rest — what's left
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. band — a music group
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. mine — belonging to me

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