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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: dip · mate · leaves · stand · fine · wind · season · hand

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. wind — moving air
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. stand — to bear
  7. fine — high quality
  8. wind — moving air
  9. dip — to sink
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. season — of the year
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. mate — a partner
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. hand — in cards
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a friend
  23. season — in sport
  24. hand — help

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