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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: staff · tear · lean · stand · date · hide · fork · row

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. lean — thin
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — the fruit
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. staff — employees
  11. fork — in a road
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. tear — from crying
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. staff — employees
  16. row — a line
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. staff — a stick
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. row — to paddle
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. lean — to bend
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fork — a garden tool

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