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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — thin
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wind — moving air
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bass — the fish
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mark — a trace
  17. fall — to drop
  18. lean — to bend
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. fall — the season
  22. bass — low music
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bark — to shout

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