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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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Word bank
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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: fall · present · hide · pound · lean · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. present — there
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. present — the time now
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. fall — to drop
  10. lean — to bend
  11. present — a gift
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. cell — in biology
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pound — a weight
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. 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