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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: band · board · roll · stem · last · drill · club · mate

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. board — to get on
  6. drill — a practice
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — the tool
  11. mate — a friend
  12. club — for golf
  13. roll — a cake
  14. board — a committee
  15. club — for dancing
  16. roll — a list
  17. stem — to come from
  18. last — to go on
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. club — a group
  21. last — final
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. last — finally
  24. mate — to breed

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