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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. fine — high quality
  3. lean — thin
  4. fall — the season
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. cell — a phone
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. lean — to bend
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. spring — a coil
  16. ground — a position
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mate — a partner
  19. cell — in biology
  20. fine — all right
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fall — to drop

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