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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 120 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: stand · lean · rash · face · last · bound · net · chair

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. rash — hasty
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bound — tied together
  5. last — final
  6. last — finally
  7. lean — to bend
  8. rash — a series
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — in sport
  12. bound — obliged
  13. face — to confront
  14. bound — certain
  15. chair — a leader
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. stand — to bear
  18. last — to go on
  19. lean — thin
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. face — to point toward
  24. net — after costs

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