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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: rock · roll · ground · wake · board · rest · saw · cap

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wake — a trail
  3. ground — the earth
  4. rock — music
  5. roll — a cake
  6. cap — a hat
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. rest — a break
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. roll — a list
  12. cap — a lid
  13. saw — the tool
  14. ground — crushed
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rock — a stone
  19. board — to get on
  20. rest — what's left
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. ground — a position
  24. rest — what's left

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