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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: press · stand · object · pound · bear · cold · rush · stem

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. cold — not warm
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. pound — a weight
  8. object — a thing
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stand — to bear
  11. press — a publisher
  12. object — an aim
  13. press — newspapers
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. cold — an illness
  18. press — to push
  19. object — to protest
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. bear — the animal
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. stem — to come from
  24. pound — to hit hard

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