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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: wind · bay · land · deal · cell · band · pass · stand

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. land — ground
  3. cell — in biology
  4. deal — to handle
  5. wind — moving air
  6. land — to come down
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. land — a country
  19. band — a music group
  20. pass — a permit
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. band — a ring

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