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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: stand · patient · cold · bank · saw · lean · last · fine

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. lean — thin
  3. bank — for money
  4. last — to go on
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. saw — the tool
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bank — for money
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. last — final
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stand — to bear
  17. cold — an illness
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — all right
  20. last — finally
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bank — of a river
  24. cold — not warm

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