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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.

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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: game · land · bear · wake · firm · mine · stand · can

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bear — the animal
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. can — to be able to
  7. game — a match
  8. land — ground
  9. land — a country
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. firm — decided
  12. firm — a company
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. can — a tin
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bear — the animal
  17. can — a tin
  18. wake — a trail
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. firm — steady
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. mine — an explosive
  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