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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.

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: pit · cabinet · tear · bulb · stand · lean · land · fan

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. stand — to bear
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lean — thin
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bulb — for light
  9. land — to come down
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pit — in a race
  14. land — ground
  15. lean — to bend
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. land — a country
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. tear — to rip
  24. stand — on your feet

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