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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: rash · sharp · stem · wave · snap · object · court · stand

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  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. sharp — exactly
  2. object — an aim
  3. court — for sport
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. stand — to bear
  7. object — to protest
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to click
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. court — of law
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. sharp — clever
  17. court — of a king
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. rash — a series
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. object — a thing
  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