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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: kid · board · rash · field · stand · lean · bass · capital

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. capital — a city
  3. rash — hasty
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. lean — thin
  9. board — a committee
  10. field — farmland
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. capital — money
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. rash — a series
  17. kid — to tease
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bass — the fish
  22. lean — to bend
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bass — low music

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