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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: current · lean · tube · hand · chair · stand · wound · fan

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — of water
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. current — electric
  10. chair — a leader
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. tube — a container
  16. hand — in cards
  17. lean — to bend
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. hand — help
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wound — an injury
  22. lean — thin
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — the underground

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