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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: fall · staff · lean · bound · stand · court · kid · coach

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. lean — thin
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bound — obliged
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. lean — to bend
  11. staff — employees
  12. court — of law
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stand — to bear
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. fall — to drop
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bound — tied together
  20. kid — to tease
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. fall — the season
  24. coach — a trainer

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