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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · bore · staff · stand · fan · bear · sharp · wind

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. sharp — clever
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. staff — employees
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. cold — not warm
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bore — to tire
  18. wind — moving air
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. staff — employees
  21. wind — moving air
  22. stand — to bear
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bear — to put up with

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