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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: lean · staff · bore · stand · cold · rash · snap · bowl

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. cold — an illness
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. staff — employees
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. rash — a series
  14. stand — to bear
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. snap — to click
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bore — to tire
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to drill

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