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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: saw · court · stand · face · lean · last · land · spring

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. court — of a king
  3. land — ground
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. last — finally
  7. court — of law
  8. saw — the tool
  9. face — part of the head
  10. land — a country
  11. spring — a coil
  12. lean — to bend
  13. last — to go on
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. last — final
  18. court — for sport
  19. face — to point toward
  20. lean — thin
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. saw — the tool
  23. land — to come down
  24. face — to confront

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