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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: season · squash · cell · band · mate · board · foot · wave

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. board — a committee
  3. cell — a phone
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a friend
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. board — to get on
  9. band — a ring
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. cell — in biology
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. band — a music group
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. mate — a partner
  17. season — of the year
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. squash — to crush
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. foot — a measure
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wave — with your hand

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