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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: clip · pass · board · leaves · ground · snap · band · bore

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. ground — a position
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bore — to drill
  8. ground — the earth
  9. band — a music group
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. ground — crushed
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. pass — a permit
  15. band — a ring
  16. board — to get on
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. board — a committee
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — a video

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