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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: rush · bat · firm · saw · stand · last · mine · leaves

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mine — for digging
  6. last — to go on
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. firm — a company
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — the animal
  14. saw — the tool
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — to bear
  19. firm — decided
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. last — final
  22. rush — hurry
  23. last — finally
  24. rush — a thrill

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