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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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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 · rule · club · snap · stand · pass · fork · spring

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. stand — to bear
  5. spring — the season
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. spring — a coil
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. rule — government
  11. pass — a permit
  12. snap — to click
  13. club — for dancing
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. spring — of water
  19. club — a group
  20. rule — a law
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. lean — thin
  23. club — for golf
  24. fork — in a road

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