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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: kid · arm · fall · band · stand · track · ground · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. stand — to bear
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. fall — to drop
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. fall — to drop
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. track — a path
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — the earth
  13. track — a song
  14. kid — child
  15. fall — the season
  16. ground — crushed
  17. band — a music group
  18. board — a committee
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. track — to keep track
  22. band — a ring
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. kid — to tease

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