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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 120 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: present · drill · bass · stand · cabinet · bore · rest · cold

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rest — a break
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — a gift
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bass — the fish
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bass — low music
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. drill — army training
  13. rest — what's left
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bore — to tire
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. stand — to bear
  20. rest — what's left
  21. drill — the tool
  22. cold — not warm
  23. present — there
  24. cold — the Cold War

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