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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 · cold · drill · mug · straw · wound · present · stem

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a cup
  7. present — there
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mug — a face
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. drill — army training
  17. cold — not warm
  18. present — the time now
  19. stem — to come from
  20. drill — the tool
  21. cold — an illness
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. present — a gift
  24. drill — a practice

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