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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: board · hide · cue · land · bore · band · last · stock

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cue — a hint
  3. band — a ring
  4. board — to get on
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bore — to tire
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. land — a country
  10. last — final
  11. land — to come down
  12. board — a committee
  13. band — a music group
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. last — finally
  16. land — ground
  17. stock — goods
  18. last — to go on
  19. stock — shares
  20. cue — a signal
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bore — to drill
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. band — a rubber band

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