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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: sharp · file · land · board · ground · lie · stand · band

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. ground — crushed
  3. board — a committee
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. ground — the earth
  6. stand — to bear
  7. file — a line of people
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. band — a ring
  11. board — to get on
  12. land — a country
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. file — a document
  16. sharp — clever
  17. band — a music group
  18. ground — a position
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. land — to come down
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. land — ground
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. board — a flat piece

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