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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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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: track · rest · board · tear · row · band · leaves · stand

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. band — a music group
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. row — to paddle
  6. board — to get on
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. track — a path
  13. band — a ring
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. rest — a break
  16. tear — from crying
  17. track — to keep track
  18. row — a line
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. rest — what's left
  22. board — a committee
  23. rest — what's left
  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