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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: chest · lean · row · bay · game · stand · land · staff

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. game — wild animals
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. land — a country
  6. row — a line
  7. stand — to bear
  8. staff — employees
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. chest — a box
  14. staff — employees
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. lean — thin
  17. chest — of your body
  18. staff — a stick
  19. game — a match
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — ground
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. chest — of your 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