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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: foot · nail · stand · mine · board · row · track · spell

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. board — to get on
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. spell — a short time
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. foot — a measure
  9. spell — letters
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. track — a song
  12. board — a committee
  13. track — to keep track
  14. row — a line
  15. spell — magic
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mine — for digging
  18. track — a path
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — to paddle
  24. stand — for spectators

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