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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 120 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: dip · pitcher · rash · season · band · stem · cold · firm

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. band — a ring
  5. rash — hasty
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. rash — a series
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cold — not warm
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. firm — decided
  15. firm — a company
  16. band — a music group
  17. stem — to come from
  18. firm — steady
  19. dip — to sink
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — in sport

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