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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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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: bank · saw · fall · chair · lean · dip · stand · kick

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bank — of a river
  3. fall — the season
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. dip — to sink
  9. fall — to drop
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. chair — a leader
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. stand — to bear
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — for money
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. fall — to drop
  23. kick — in football
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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