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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: stand · leaves · pop · key · toast · chest · capital · fall

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stand — to bear
  3. pop — soda
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fall — the season
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. pop — to visit
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. chest — a box
  13. key — in music
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. key — for a lock
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a city
  20. toast — bread
  21. key — the most important part
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pop — music
  24. chest — of your body

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