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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: mine · board · band · wind · drill · key · plane · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. band — a ring
  5. mine — for digging
  6. board — a committee
  7. key — for a lock
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. drill — army training
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. key — the most important part
  17. board — to get on
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. key — in music
  22. band — a music group
  23. season — in sport
  24. plane — a 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