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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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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 · board · saw · wind · prune · mate · suit · calf

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. band — a music group
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wind — moving air
  5. band — a ring
  6. wind — moving air
  7. board — a committee
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. prune — to trim
  12. suit — in cards
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. saw — the tool
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — to breed
  19. suit — to fit
  20. suit — clothes
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. calf — of the leg

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