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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fan · stand · rest · last · chest · squash · lean · ball

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. chest — of your body
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. stand — to bear
  5. last — to go on
  6. squash — to crush
  7. rest — a break
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. rest — what's left
  10. ball — a dance
  11. chest — a box
  12. last — finally
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. lean — thin
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. squash — the sport
  18. ball — a great time
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. last — final
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rest — what's left
  24. fan — to cool the air

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