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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: board · wound · foot · stand · club · stock · season · safe

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. stock — shares
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. wound — an injury
  7. board — to get on
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — a group
  12. foot — a measure
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. season — in sport
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. stock — goods
  21. season — of the year
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. safe — out of danger

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