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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: band · stock · can · board · bowl · coach · wind · dip

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. wind — moving air
  4. can — a tin
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. band — a ring
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. board — to get on
  10. band — a music group
  11. stock — shares
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. stock — goods
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. can — a tin
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. can — to be able to
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. dip — to sink
  24. wind — moving air

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