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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 116 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: stand · lash · ground · wound · cabinet · lean · hide · fall

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. fall — to drop
  4. ground — crushed
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. fall — the season
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ground — the earth
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ground — a position
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lean — to bend
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. lean — thin
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. stand — to bear
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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