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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: stand · object · cap · kid · staff · row · lean · bulb

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. lean — to bend
  4. object — to protest
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. cap — a hat
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. object — an aim
  10. staff — employees
  11. bulb — for light
  12. object — a thing
  13. row — a line
  14. kid — child
  15. bulb — for light
  16. row — to paddle
  17. staff — a stick
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. lean — thin
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. staff — employees
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. kid — to tease

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