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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — thin
  4. fall — the season
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. fall — to drop
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. land — to come down
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. land — ground
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mug — a cup
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. mug — to rob
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. wake — a trail
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. land — a country
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. mug — a face

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