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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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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. race — humankind
  3. spring — a coil
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. rash — a series
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. bank — of a river
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — the animal
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — a leader
  18. race — a contest
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bank — for money
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bank — for money
  23. stand — to bear
  24. race — the arms race

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