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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: bear · swing · rash · stand · temple · bound · cold · spell

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. stand — to bear
  3. spell — letters
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. bear — the animal
  6. spell — magic
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. rash — hasty
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bound — tied together
  11. cold — an illness
  12. swing — in golf
  13. rash — a series
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bound — certain
  18. spell — a short time
  19. swing — music
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bound — obliged
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rash — on the skin

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