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

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. chip — to eat
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. lean — thin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. wake — a trail
  8. can — a tin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. chip — for betting
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. hand — help
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — the tool
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. drill — a practice
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. season — in sport

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