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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 · bound · board · pound · season · bat · plane · clip

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. bound — obliged
  6. plane — a tool
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bound — certain
  10. clip — a video
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. season — in sport
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — to cut
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. band — a ring
  19. bound — tied together
  20. season — of the year
  21. bat — the animal
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — to get on

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