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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: board · net · staff · bank · stand · track · cold · chest

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. track — to keep track
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cold — an illness
  8. track — a song
  9. staff — employees
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. board — to get on
  13. net — in sport
  14. chest — a box
  15. net — after costs
  16. chest — of your body
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. stand — to bear
  19. board — a committee
  20. track — a path
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — of a river
  24. net — for catching

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