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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 116 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: coach · march · stand · straw · dip · cap · lean · current

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. cap — of ice
  3. march — music
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. current — electric
  7. lean — to bend
  8. cap — a lid
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. march — the month
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. current — of water
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. lean — thin
  16. cap — a hat
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. current — happening now
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. dip — to sink
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. march — the month
  24. stand — to bear

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