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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: cue · fine · ground · wind · object · stand · bound · staff

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. staff — employees
  3. ground — crushed
  4. cue — a signal
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bound — obliged
  8. object — an aim
  9. fine — high quality
  10. ground — a position
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bound — tied together
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cue — for pool
  17. wind — moving air
  18. ground — the earth
  19. object — a thing
  20. staff — employees
  21. bound — certain
  22. fine — all right
  23. object — to protest
  24. fine — a penalty

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