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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: cabinet · ground · row · stand · object · press · lean · date

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stand — to bear
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. press — a publisher
  5. object — an aim
  6. ground — the earth
  7. row — to paddle
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. ground — a position
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — a thing
  16. press — to push
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. press — newspapers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. ground — crushed
  22. row — a line
  23. date — the fruit
  24. row — a quarrel

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