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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: ground · stand · band · mug · cue · bank · cold · rest

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — to rob
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rest — what's left
  8. band — a ring
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cold — not warm
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. stand — to bear
  13. rest — a break
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. cue — a signal
  17. ground — the earth
  18. cold — an illness
  19. mug — a face
  20. cue — a hint
  21. bank — of a river
  22. band — a music group
  23. ground — a position
  24. cue — for pool

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