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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 116 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
468
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: spring · wind · pitch · mouse · lean · cabinet · stand · hand

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. hand — help
  3. spring — the season
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. lean — to bend
  7. hand — in cards
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stand — to bear
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. spring — of water
  21. lean — thin
  22. pitch — completely
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wind — moving 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