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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bore · cold · bear · board · chair · rash · saw

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. stand — to bear
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cold — an illness
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bore — to tire
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. board — to get on
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. rash — a series
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. board — a committee
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bear — the animal
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. stand — on your feet

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