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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · bank · lash · field · lean · rule

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. bank — of a river
  3. lean — to bend
  4. field — a subject
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. field — farmland
  11. rule — government
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. field — for sport
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air

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