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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mouse · hand · nail · tear · band · rash · perch · board

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. band — a ring
  3. rash — a series
  4. hand — help
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a music group
  7. perch — the fish
  8. rash — hasty
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. board — a committee
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. tear — from crying
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. tear — from crying
  24. board — to get on

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