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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 116 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: cold · tear · cabinet · last · bear · bulb · stand · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. bulb — for light
  9. last — final
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bear — the animal
  12. last — to go on
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cold — an illness
  18. can — a tin
  19. stand — to bear
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bear — the animal
  22. can — a tin
  23. last — finally
  24. stand — for spectators

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