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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: stand · shower · cap · ground · race · bear · bound · net

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  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. cap — a lid
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bound — obliged
  5. shower — rain
  6. race — humankind
  7. bound — certain
  8. bear — the animal
  9. race — a contest
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bound — tied together
  13. shower — to wash
  14. net — in sport
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. net — for catching
  17. cap — a hat
  18. ground — a position
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. cap — of ice
  21. ground — the earth
  22. net — after costs
  23. stand — to bear
  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