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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: nail · spell · cold · bulb · drill · stand · ground · staff

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stand — to bear
  5. ground — a position
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bulb — for light
  8. spell — letters
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cold — not warm
  11. ground — crushed
  12. staff — employees
  13. drill — the tool
  14. staff — employees
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. cold — an illness
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. spell — magic
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — a practice
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. spell — a short time

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