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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · wound · band · rule · scale · chair · field · capital

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. capital — a city
  4. band — a music group
  5. field — a subject
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. field — for sport
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. band — a ring
  10. rule — government
  11. board — to get on
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. scale — in music
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. wound — an injury
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — a leader
  18. field — farmland
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. rule — a law
  21. capital — money
  22. wound — an injury
  23. board — a committee
  24. rule — to rule out

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