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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: band · pit · rash · wax · row · stand · board · cap

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. cap — a hat
  6. stand — to bear
  7. rash — hasty
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. cap — a lid
  10. board — to get on
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. rash — a series
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. board — a committee
  15. pit — in a race
  16. row — to paddle
  17. cap — of ice
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. row — a line
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a music group
  22. pit — a hole
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. board — a flat piece

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