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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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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: cold · pass · board · fall · trunk · stand · plane · bear

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. fall — the season
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. cold — an illness
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. fall — to drop
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. plane — a tool
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. board — a committee
  22. pass — a permit
  23. board — to get on
  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