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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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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: stick · pop · stand · bound · last · tear · face · mouse

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  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. stand — to bear
  2. last — to go on
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pop — soda
  8. bound — tied together
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. tear — to rip
  12. last — final
  13. pop — music
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bound — certain
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bound — obliged
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. face — to confront
  22. last — finally
  23. tear — from crying
  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