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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: mate · cue · saw · cold · lean · rest · season · stand

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. cue — a hint
  3. lean — to bend
  4. season — in sport
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — an illness
  9. mate — to breed
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mate — a partner
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. cue — for pool
  15. stand — to bear
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. mate — a friend
  21. season — of the year
  22. lean — thin
  23. cue — a signal
  24. rest — what's left

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