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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: bulb · stand · mine · field · wax · degree · board · coach

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. board — a committee
  3. field — farmland
  4. degree — from a university
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bulb — for light
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mine — for digging
  15. degree — temperature
  16. wax — to grow
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bulb — for light
  19. field — for sport
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. board — to get on
  23. field — a subject
  24. mine — belonging to me

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