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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: foot · board · cell · mark · mine · stand · bowl · bank

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. board — a committee
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bank — for money
  7. stand — to bear
  8. cell — in biology
  9. board — to get on
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mine — for digging
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. cell — a phone
  14. mark — a trace
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bank — for money
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bank — of a river
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. mark — a grade
  24. foot — part of the body

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