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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 120 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
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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: stand · bore · ground · pitcher · perch · staff · present · cold

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bore — to tire
  4. ground — a position
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. present — there
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — crushed
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. present — the time now
  12. staff — a stick
  13. perch — the fish
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bore — to drill
  16. stand — to bear
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. staff — employees
  19. cold — an illness
  20. staff — employees
  21. present — a gift
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. cold — not warm

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