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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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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 · firm · hide · craft · cold · object · face · saw

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. craft — boats
  3. face — to confront
  4. object — to protest
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — not warm
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. firm — steady
  9. craft — a skill
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. saw — the tool
  12. object — an aim
  13. face — part of the head
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — to bear
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. object — a thing
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. cold — an illness
  23. firm — decided
  24. face — to point toward

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