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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: cold · cue · bass · plane · march · rush · stand · firm

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. march — music
  4. cue — a hint
  5. plane — a tool
  6. march — the month
  7. cue — a signal
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — hurry
  10. march — the month
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. firm — decided
  14. firm — a company
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cue — for pool
  17. bass — low music
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. firm — steady
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bass — the fish
  22. cold — not warm
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — on your feet

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