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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.

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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: wave · lean · staff · prune · wake · cabinet · pass · stand

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. staff — employees
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. staff — a stick
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. pass — a permit
  15. wake — a trail
  16. staff — employees
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. lean — thin

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