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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 120 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: rest · clip · last · wax · lean · pit · bowl · stand

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. clip — a video
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. clip — to cut
  8. last — finally
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. last — to go on
  13. wax — to grow
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. rest — a break
  16. pit — a hole
  17. last — final
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. clip — for paper
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. lean — to bend
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pit — in a race

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