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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: fall · bear · land · key · pitch · spring · kid · stand

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. land — to come down
  3. bear — the animal
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. key — in music
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. key — for a lock
  9. fall — to drop
  10. kid — to tease
  11. spring — a coil
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pitch — completely
  15. fall — the season
  16. kid — child
  17. key — the most important part
  18. stand — to bear
  19. spring — of water
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. spring — the season
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. land — ground
  24. land — a country

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