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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · lie · capital · stand · board · mine · patient · club

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  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. club — for golf
  2. board — a committee
  3. lie — to recline
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — money
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stand — to bear
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. club — a group
  12. spring — of water
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. board — to get on
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. mine — for digging
  20. club — for dancing
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. stand — for spectators
  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