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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: fan · pass · chest · band · wound · bass · board · dip

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. board — a committee
  7. band — a ring
  8. board — to get on
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a music group
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. chest — of your body
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bass — low music
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. pass — a permit
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. chest — a box
  24. dip — to sink

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