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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: firm · cold · stick · cell · kick · nail · stand · wave

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — decided
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cell — a phone
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. cell — in biology
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — not warm
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. kick — in football
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. firm — a company

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