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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: lean · fan · fine · stand · wind · ball · pass · season

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. season — of the year
  6. fine — high quality
  7. ball — a great time
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pass — a permit
  10. lean — thin
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. fine — all right
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. stand — to bear
  15. lean — to bend
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. ball — a dance
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. wind — moving air
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. stand — on your feet

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