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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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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — thin
  3. ball — a dance
  4. spell — a short time
  5. wind — moving air
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. tube — the underground
  13. spell — magic
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. spell — letters
  18. wind — moving air
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — a container
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. ball — a great time

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