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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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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. face — to point toward
  3. wind — moving air
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. face — to confront
  6. fall — the season
  7. spring — the season
  8. perch — the fish
  9. court — for sport
  10. wind — moving air
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spring — a coil
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bound — tied together
  16. face — part of the head
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. court — of law
  19. spring — of water
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. lean — to bend
  23. court — of a king
  24. lean — thin

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