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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 116 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: lean · degree · wind · ground · object · drill · fall · bay

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wind — moving air
  4. lean — thin
  5. degree — an amount
  6. fall — the season
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. object — a thing
  9. drill — a practice
  10. object — an aim
  11. drill — the tool
  12. ground — crushed
  13. lean — to bend
  14. degree — temperature
  15. ground — a position
  16. degree — from a university
  17. object — to protest
  18. ground — the earth
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. 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