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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: kick · rock · sharp · straw · rush · band · board · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. band — a ring
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. rock — music
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. land — a country
  11. land — ground
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. sharp — clever
  14. board — to get on
  15. band — a music group
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. kick — in football
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. rock — a stone
  23. board — a committee
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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