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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 116 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 · row · kid · rush · stand · ball · suit · lean

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. ball — a dance
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. kid — child
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. row — a line
  9. lean — thin
  10. row — to paddle
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. stand — to bear
  13. lean — to bend
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. suit — to fit
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. kid — to tease
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. suit — in cards
  22. ball — a great time
  23. suit — clothes
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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