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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: rash · lean · stand · present · band · net · spring · foot

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — after costs
  4. band — a ring
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. present — there
  7. spring — of water
  8. present — the time now
  9. band — a music group
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. stand — to bear
  13. lean — to bend
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. spring — a coil
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. lean — thin
  18. present — a gift
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. rash — hasty
  21. spring — the season
  22. net — in sport
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. foot — part of the body

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