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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: stand · board · foot · bowl · swing · patient · cold · hand

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. hand — in cards
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. board — to get on
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. board — a committee
  16. swing — music
  17. cold — an illness
  18. swing — in golf
  19. hand — help
  20. foot — a measure
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. stand — on your feet
  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