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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: lean · row · stand · temple · arm · last · current · season

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. current — electric
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. current — happening now
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. season — in sport
  10. current — of water
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. lean — thin
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stand — to bear
  15. last — final
  16. row — to paddle
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. lean — to bend
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. season — of the year
  24. row — a line

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