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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 · chair · wound · game · wake · present · drill · cabinet

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. game — a match
  3. present — there
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. game — wild animals
  9. chair — a leader
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. wound — an injury
  13. drill — a practice
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. drill — army training
  17. present — the time now
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. present — a gift
  22. stand — to bear
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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