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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: hand · leaves · squash · stand · pound · board · track · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. track — a path
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — to crush
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. board — a committee
  9. squash — the sport
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a song
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pound — a weight
  16. race — humankind
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — to get on
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. race — a contest
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. stand — to bear

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