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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 116 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 · prune · stand · file · cap · chair · march · bay

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. march — the month
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — to bear
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. prune — to trim
  7. march — the month
  8. file — a tool
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — to get on
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cap — a lid
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. file — a document
  16. march — music
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. cap — a hat
  19. chair — a leader
  20. file — a line of people
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. cap — of ice

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