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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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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: lash · last · cold · rock · cap · bank · stand · suit

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. stand — to bear
  3. last — finally
  4. cap — of ice
  5. rock — music
  6. bank — for money
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. cold — not warm
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — in cards
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. last — final
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bank — for money
  18. suit — to fit
  19. last — to go on
  20. bank — of a river
  21. cold — an illness
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. rock — a stone
  24. cold — the Cold War

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