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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. club — a group
  3. firm — steady
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. fork — in a road
  7. cell — in biology
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. spring — the season
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. rash — hasty
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. spring — of water
  18. firm — a company
  19. club — for dancing
  20. club — for golf
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rash — a series
  23. cell — a phone
  24. stand — to bear

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