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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. can — to be able to
  3. lean — thin
  4. cold — not warm
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. cold — an illness
  7. can — a tin
  8. season — in sport
  9. stand — to bear
  10. can — a tin
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bear — the animal
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. season — of the year
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stand — on your feet

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