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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: cold · saw · bore · jam · cabinet · mine · wound · stand

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. mine — for digging
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to tire
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stand — to bear
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. cold — an illness
  21. saw — the tool
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. jam — a tight spot

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