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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 120 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: ground · stick · lean · stand · kick · present · dip · cell

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. lean — thin
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. dip — to sink
  5. ground — a position
  6. present — there
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. cell — a phone
  9. kick — in football
  10. cell — in biology
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — to bend
  14. ground — the earth
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. present — a gift
  19. stand — to bear
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. ground — crushed
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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