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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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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: ground · cold · bass · stand · deal · stick · bulb · band

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. stand — to bear
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. ground — a position
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bulb — for light
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. band — a ring
  12. deal — to handle
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bulb — for light
  17. band — a music group
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. ground — the earth
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. ground — crushed
  23. cold — not warm
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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