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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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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: bank · stand · spell · lean · current · field · roll · stick

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. spell — a short time
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. bank — for money
  5. lean — to bend
  6. roll — a cake
  7. field — farmland
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. field — for sport
  11. bank — for money
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. lean — thin
  14. stand — to bear
  15. current — electric
  16. spell — magic
  17. field — a subject
  18. current — of water
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. spell — letters
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. current — happening now
  24. bank — of a river

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