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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: hand · bank · lean · pop · band · craft · mouse · stand

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pop — music
  3. band — a music group
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. hand — help
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. stand — to bear
  8. lean — thin
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. pop — to visit
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bank — of a river
  17. pop — soda
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. band — a ring
  21. bank — for money
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bank — for money

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