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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: board · net · stand · field · pitcher · wave · tube · drill

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. drill — army training
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. stand — to bear
  12. net — after costs
  13. field — farmland
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. net — for catching
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — a committee
  20. drill — the tool
  21. field — for sport
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. net — in sport
  24. field — a subject

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