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

Word bank: fall · nail · court · cap · cold · root · leaves · stand

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. cold — not warm
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. cold — an illness
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — the cause
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. stand — to bear
  13. court — for sport
  14. root — of a word
  15. cap — of ice
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cap — a lid
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — of law
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. cap — a hat

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