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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: hand · kick · mark · dip · bore · board · band · mug

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. board — to get on
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. mug — to rob
  11. kick — in football
  12. band — a music group
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mark — a trace
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. board — a committee
  19. band — a ring
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bore — to drill
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mug — a face

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