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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · squash · mine · row · staff · saw · chest · wake

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. staff — employees
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. row — to paddle
  5. stand — to bear
  6. staff — a stick
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. chest — a box
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — a line
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. staff — employees
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. wake — a trail
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. saw — the tool
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mine — for digging
  23. squash — the sport
  24. chest — of your body

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