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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 116 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: board · bear · band · stand · fine · capital

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — to get on
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. stand — to bear
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a music group
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. fine — high quality
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — all right
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bear — the animal

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