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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: stand · spell · wound · kid · pound · cabinet · stem · ball

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. spell — a short time
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. kid — to tease
  5. wound — an injury
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. ball — a dance
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. kid — child
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. stand — to bear
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. ball — a great time
  19. pound — a weight
  20. stem — to come from
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. stand — on your feet

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