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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: stand · toast · mouse · last · spring · content · lean · rule

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  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. content — the amount
  2. toast — bread
  3. lean — thin
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. last — to go on
  8. rule — government
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. spring — the season
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. rule — a law
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. last — final
  16. lean — to bend
  17. spring — a coil
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. stand — to bear
  20. content — happy
  21. last — finally
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. spring — of water
  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