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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 · squash · land · stand · chair · bowl

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. land — ground
  4. band — a music group
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. land — to come down
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. squash — to crush
  16. band — a ring
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bowl — a dish

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