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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: board · bass · game · land · fan · coach · wound · mine

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. board — a committee
  4. bass — the fish
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bass — low music
  7. game — a match
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. land — to come down
  12. mine — for digging
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. game — wild animals
  17. land — a country
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. land — ground
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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