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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: snap · track · bass · cell · stand · field · board · bank

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a committee
  3. field — a subject
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. snap — to click
  6. bank — for money
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a path
  9. bank — for money
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bass — low music
  12. track — a song
  13. field — for sport
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bass — the fish
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bank — of a river
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. field — farmland
  22. cell — in biology
  23. stand — on your feet
  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