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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: wake · cabinet · nail · wind · wound · hide · rock · stand

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stand — to bear
  6. rock — music
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rock — a stone
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wake — a trail
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cabinet — ministers

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