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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. net — for catching
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. net — in sport
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. drill — army training
  12. net — after costs
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pound — a weight

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