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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. object — a thing
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. land — ground
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. object — to protest
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. land — a country
  13. lie — to recline
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. lean — thin
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. object — an aim
  21. land — to come down
  22. chair — a leader
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. wake — a trail

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