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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: track · patient · pit · wind · firm · mouse · stand · row

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. stand — to bear
  3. track — a path
  4. firm — a company
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. wind — moving air
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wind — moving air
  9. firm — decided
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. firm — steady
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. row — to paddle
  17. track — a song
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. row — a line
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. pit — in a race
  24. track — to keep track

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