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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: face · lean · fall · nail · game · degree · mug · perch

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. fall — to drop
  3. face — part of the head
  4. perch — the fish
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a match
  7. degree — an amount
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. fall — to drop
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. face — to point toward
  12. fall — the season
  13. lean — thin
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — temperature
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. face — to confront
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a face
  21. mug — a cup
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. game — a kind of play

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