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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: band · fork · nail · foot · lie · board · bore · swing

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. lie — to recline
  7. swing — music
  8. board — to get on
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. band — a music group
  12. board — a committee
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bore — to tire
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bore — to drill
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. swing — in golf
  22. fork — in a road
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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