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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 116 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: fan · field · lash · leaves · pit · bound · spring · stand

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bound — certain
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. bound — obliged
  14. spring — the season
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. pit — in a race
  18. spring — of water
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bound — tied together
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. spring — a coil
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. field — a subject

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