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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. craft — boats
  3. bound — obliged
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bound — certain
  8. cold — not warm
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bound — tied together
  13. shower — rain
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cold — an illness
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. shower — to wash
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — a tool
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. craft — a skill
  23. rush — hurry
  24. stand — for spectators

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