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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · current · stand · straw · court · season · cell · patient

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cell — in biology
  7. lean — thin
  8. court — of a king
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. lean — to bend
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. current — electric
  15. stand — to bear
  16. court — for sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. current — happening now
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. current — of water
  21. season — in sport
  22. court — of law
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. straw — a straw man

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