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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: capital · trunk · board · object · band · season · wake · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. object — a thing
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. game — wild animals
  6. season — in sport
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — a committee
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. season — of the year
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. capital — a city
  16. wake — a trail
  17. capital — money
  18. object — an aim
  19. board — to get on
  20. object — to protest
  21. band — a music group
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. band — a ring
  24. season — to add flavour

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