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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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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: leaves · stand · cold · scale · board · lie · game · nail

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. scale — size or range
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. cold — an illness
  6. game — a match
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cold — not warm
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. scale — in music
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. board — to get on
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. stand — to bear
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. lie — to recline
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. board — a committee

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