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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: lean · fall · saw · net · toast · cap · leaves · stick

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cap — a hat
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fall — the season
  7. cap — of ice
  8. net — after costs
  9. lean — to bend
  10. cap — a lid
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. net — in sport
  13. lean — thin
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. toast — bread
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. net — for catching
  23. fall — to drop
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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