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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: wake · rest · stick · lean · lie · game · stand · saw

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. rest — a break
  8. game — wild animals
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. rest — what's left
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lie — to recline
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wake — a trail
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. rest — what's left
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. game — a match
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. lean — thin

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