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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: bat · lean · cabinet · squash · fine · wound · bay · fall

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bat — the animal
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. fall — the season
  8. squash — the sport
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fine — all right
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. lean — thin
  23. fall — to drop
  24. lean — to bend

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