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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 120 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: charge · net · board · bank · hand · stand · mate · bound

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. hand — help
  4. charge — a price
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bank — of a river
  7. net — in sport
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. board — a committee
  10. mate — a friend
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bound — certain
  13. charge — in control
  14. bound — tied together
  15. board — to get on
  16. mate — to breed
  17. stand — to bear
  18. net — for catching
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — for money
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bound — obliged
  23. charge — electricity
  24. stand — on your feet

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