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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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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: cap · root · stick · wind · fan · lean · stand · chair

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. chair — a leader
  3. wind — moving air
  4. root — of a plant
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a hat
  8. lean — to bend
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stand — to bear
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cap — a lid
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — the cause
  23. lean — thin
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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