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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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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: track · club · pass · leaves · bear · stand · row · cold

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. bear — the animal
  3. club — a group
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. row — a line
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cold — not warm
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. track — a path
  11. club — for golf
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. stand — to bear
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pass — a permit
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. pass — to spend time

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