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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: stick · pop · bay · spring · stand · key · fall · last

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. last — final
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. key — for a lock
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pop — soda
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — a coil
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — finally
  12. key — the most important part
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stand — to bear
  15. pop — to visit
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. pop — music
  21. spring — the season
  22. fall — the season
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. key — in music

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