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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: stand · pound · shower · wind · current · toast · hand · bear

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. bear — the animal
  4. current — happening now
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. wind — moving air
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. shower — to wash
  12. current — of water
  13. toast — bread
  14. bear — the animal
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. hand — in cards
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. shower — rain
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. pound — a weight
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. current — electric
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pound — to hit hard

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