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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: stand · mark · shower · field · bore · cap · firm · wind

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. firm — decided
  3. mark — a trace
  4. cap — a hat
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. field — for sport
  8. cap — of ice
  9. field — farmland
  10. shower — to wash
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. cap — a lid
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. bore — to tire
  16. field — a subject
  17. firm — steady
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. firm — a company
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to drill

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