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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: straw · band · march · bore · row · bark · board · mouse

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. band — a music group
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bark — to shout
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. board — a committee
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bore — to tire
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. board — to get on
  15. row — a line
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. march — the month
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bore — to drill
  20. march — music
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. march — the month
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. band — a ring

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