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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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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: board · can · pound · kick · bat · band · rest · spring

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  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. bat — for baseball
  2. board — to get on
  3. band — a ring
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pound — a weight
  6. can — a tin
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. kick — in football
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. spring — a coil
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. spring — of water
  18. board — a committee
  19. band — a music group
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. bat — the animal
  22. rest — a break
  23. spring — the season
  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