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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 120 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 · ground · lash · stand · hand · stock · patient · season

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. stock — shares
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. ground — crushed
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stand — to bear
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. hand — help
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. hand — in cards
  16. season — of the year
  17. ground — a position
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. stock — goods
  21. lean — to bend
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. season — in sport
  24. ground — the earth

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