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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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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: mine · lie · wound · object · straw · toast · cap · stand

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. object — an aim
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stand — to bear
  7. object — a thing
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — of ice
  11. toast — bread
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. object — to protest
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. lie — to recline
  20. mine — for digging
  21. cap — a lid
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. straw — dry grass

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