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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bear · wound · chair · foot · hand · fan

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. cold — not warm
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. hand — in cards
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wound — an injury
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. foot — a measure
  24. wound — an injury

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