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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: last · hand · drill · scale · current · season · stand · content

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. hand — help
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. current — of water
  5. content — the amount
  6. hand — in cards
  7. current — electric
  8. drill — a practice
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — in music
  11. season — of the year
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. drill — army training
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. scale — size or range
  19. content — happy
  20. stand — to bear
  21. drill — the tool
  22. season — in sport
  23. current — happening now
  24. last — final

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