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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 116 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: stand · firm · track · bowl · pitcher · fall · current · spring

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. spring — the season
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. track — a song
  5. current — happening now
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. firm — steady
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. track — a path
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. track — to keep track
  13. firm — a company
  14. stand — to bear
  15. current — electric
  16. firm — decided
  17. current — of water
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. spring — a coil
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. spring — of water

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