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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: cabinet · deal · ground · stand · bulb · spring · chair · cold

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. spring — the season
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. spring — of water
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. spring — a coil
  10. cold — not warm
  11. ground — crushed
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stand — to bear
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. deal — to handle
  17. cold — an illness
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. ground — a position
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bulb — for light
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bulb — for light

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