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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 120 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: band · lean · net · stand · fork · object · bat · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. object — an aim
  3. stand — to bear
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. lean — to bend
  6. net — after costs
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. object — a thing
  11. fork — in a road
  12. band — a ring
  13. board — a committee
  14. object — to protest
  15. band — a music group
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. net — for catching
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. net — in sport
  23. bat — the animal
  24. lean — thin

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