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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: wave · cold · rule · pop · season · board · march · nail

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. season — of the year
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pop — soda
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. rule — government
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. pop — to visit
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. board — to get on
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. cold — an illness
  17. march — the month
  18. board — a committee
  19. rule — a law
  20. cold — not warm
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pop — music
  24. season — in sport

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