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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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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — for golf
  4. firm — decided
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. rock — a stone
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. season — in sport
  10. firm — steady
  11. wind — moving air
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. firm — a company
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. club — a group
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. rock — music
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. season — of the year

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