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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: chest · lash · rest · wake · stand · fork · fall · firm

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. fall — to drop
  5. chest — a box
  6. stand — to bear
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. rest — what's left
  10. chest — of your body
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. firm — a company
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. firm — decided
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fall — to drop
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. fall — the season

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