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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 116 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: cue · land · racket · tube · lash · cold · stand · lean

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — thin
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. land — to come down
  5. tube — the underground
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cold — an illness
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. land — ground
  13. cue — for pool
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. land — a country
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. lean — to bend
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — a container
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. stand — to bear

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