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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: rush · mate · band · season · root · game · scale · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. rush — hurry
  3. scale — size or range
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. game — wild animals
  9. root — of a plant
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. root — the cause
  12. game — a match
  13. root — of a word
  14. season — in sport
  15. mate — a friend
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. mate — to breed
  18. season — of the year
  19. board — a committee
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. scale — in music
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. rush — a thrill

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