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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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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: bear · stand · jam · pit · cold · lash · field · bank

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. stand — to bear
  7. field — a subject
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. bear — the animal
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bank — for money
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. field — farmland
  19. bank — for money
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pit — a hole
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. field — for sport

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