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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: staff · spring · wind · saw · face · pass · stand · lie

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. staff — employees
  3. face — part of the head
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. stand — to bear
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pass — a permit
  9. lie — to recline
  10. saw — the tool
  11. spring — of water
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. saw — the tool
  14. face — to point toward
  15. wind — moving air
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. staff — a stick
  18. spring — the season
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. face — to confront
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. staff — employees

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