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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: kid · cap · mouse · wave · cold · lean · leaves · stand

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. cold — an illness
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. stand — to bear
  10. cap — a lid
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — to tease
  13. lean — thin
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cap — of ice
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. lean — to bend
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. cold — not warm
  24. stand — for spectators

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