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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.

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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: roll · wound · bear · stand · coach · rush · mine · last

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. rush — hurry
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. roll — a list
  11. roll — a cake
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. last — to go on
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. wound — an injury
  21. last — final
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. last — finally

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