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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: mug · spring · mark · ground · cell · squash · stand · chair

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  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. mug — a face
  2. mug — to rob
  3. squash — to crush
  4. stand — to bear
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. mark — a trace
  7. cell — in biology
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. chair — a leader
  10. mug — a cup
  11. ground — a position
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. squash — the sport
  15. spring — the season
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. ground — crushed
  18. cell — a phone
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. ground — the earth
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. mark — a grade
  23. spring — a coil
  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