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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: board · cabinet · stand · wave · field · band · charge · deal

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. charge — in control
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. band — a ring
  5. board — a committee
  6. stand — to bear
  7. board — to get on
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. charge — a price
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. deal — to handle
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. charge — electricity
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. band — a music group
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. field — farmland
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — for sport

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