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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: cabinet · cold · bound · can · tear · stand · ground · cell

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. ground — a position
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ground — crushed
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cold — an illness
  9. tear — to rip
  10. can — a tin
  11. ground — the earth
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bound — tied together
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bound — obliged
  24. stand — to bear

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