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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: sharp · leaves · fan · branch · pop · stand · lean · hand

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. pop — soda
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. hand — help
  10. lean — thin
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. lean — to bend
  16. sharp — clever
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. pop — music
  19. pop — to visit
  20. hand — in cards
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. branch — a division
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. leaves — lets stay

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