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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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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: fall · straw · lean · chip · foot · stand · press · trunk

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. chip — to eat
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — to push
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stand — to bear
  9. fall — the season
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. fall — to drop
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. foot — a measure
  14. chip — for betting
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. fall — to drop
  19. press — a publisher
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. lean — thin
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. foot — the bottom

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