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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: hide · fine · staff · lean · net · cap · stand · field

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. fine — all right
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. field — for sport
  5. cap — of ice
  6. net — after costs
  7. cap — a hat
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. net — for catching
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. lean — to bend
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. field — a subject
  16. staff — employees
  17. cap — a lid
  18. net — in sport
  19. fine — high quality
  20. lean — thin
  21. field — farmland
  22. staff — employees
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. staff — a stick

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