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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: tear · saw · board · cap · straw · key · land · band

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  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 committee
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. key — for a lock
  4. tear — to rip
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. cap — a lid
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. land — a country
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cap — a hat
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. key — the most important part
  15. band — a ring
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — ground
  18. tear — from crying
  19. band — a music group
  20. saw — the tool
  21. key — in music
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cap — of ice
  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