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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 · root · march · board · bowl · last · chair · bore

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. march — music
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. root — of a word
  5. bore — to tire
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. band — a ring
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — to get on
  11. last — finally
  12. board — a committee
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. band — a music group
  15. march — the month
  16. last — to go on
  17. march — the month
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. root — the cause
  20. bore — to drill
  21. chair — a leader
  22. root — of a plant
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. last — final

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