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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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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: bass · coach · bear · stand · bound · cabinet · kick · wind

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. kick — in football
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bass — the fish
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bound — certain
  7. bass — low music
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bear — the animal
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wind — moving air
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bear — to put up with

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