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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: present · rush · cabinet · hand · fan · stock · pitcher · stand

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. present — there
  4. hand — help
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — shares
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. hand — in cards
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. rush — hurry
  15. present — a gift
  16. present — the time now
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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