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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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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: bore · bulb · board · last · band · hide · row · bowl

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. board — a committee
  5. band — a ring
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. board — to get on
  9. bulb — for light
  10. row — a line
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to drill
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. band — a music group
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. last — finally
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bore — to tire
  24. band — a rubber band

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