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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: lean · ball · mark · tear · present · stand · fan · ground

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. ground — a position
  3. present — a gift
  4. stand — to bear
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. ground — the earth
  8. mark — a trace
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. ball — a great time
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. present — there
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. present — the time now
  18. mark — a grade
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. ground — crushed
  22. tear — to rip
  23. lean — thin
  24. ball — a dance

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