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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stand · bear · chip · land · date · fan · spring · chair

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. chair — a leader
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. land — ground
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. spring — the season
  9. date — the fruit
  10. spring — a coil
  11. land — a country
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bear — the animal
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. spring — of water
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. land — to come down
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bear — the animal

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