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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: fan · bore · content · spring · mine · stand · lean · leaves

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bore — to drill
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. lean — to bend
  7. stand — to bear
  8. content — happy
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. lean — thin
  14. content — the amount
  15. spring — a coil
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. lean — to rest against

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