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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 116 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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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: mate · club · board · snap · straw · face · band · bass

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. board — to get on
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bass — the fish
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. club — a group
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. band — a ring
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — to breed
  16. board — a committee
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to confront
  19. band — a music group
  20. snap — to click
  21. club — for golf
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bass — low music
  24. mate — a partner

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