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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 116 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: ground · ball · stand · wound · pound · nail · fan · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. ground — a position
  3. stand — to bear
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ground — crushed
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ground — the earth
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. board — to get on
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. pound — a weight
  24. wound — an injury

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