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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: bass · ground · bank · hand · chip · scale · stand · board

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. board — to get on
  3. hand — help
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bank — of a river
  7. board — a committee
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. bank — for money
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. hand — in cards
  15. chip — for betting
  16. scale — in music
  17. bank — for money
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bass — the fish
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — size or range

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