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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lie · cold · stand · stick · bound · field · bass · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bass — low music
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cold — an illness
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. field — a subject
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. land — a country
  14. bound — certain
  15. stand — to bear
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. land — ground
  18. bass — the fish
  19. field — for sport
  20. cold — not warm
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. field — farmland

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