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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: content · dip · march · cabinet · spell · hand · ground · stand

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. spell — a short time
  4. hand — in cards
  5. dip — to sink
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. ground — a position
  8. march — the month
  9. content — happy
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. march — music
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. ground — crushed
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. hand — help
  20. spell — letters
  21. march — the month
  22. spell — magic
  23. content — the amount
  24. ground — the earth

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