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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: cabinet · bark · fan · track · fall · lean · club · cell

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. club — a group
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. track — a path
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bark — to shout
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. club — for dancing
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. club — for golf
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cell — a phone
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. cell — in biology
  19. lean — thin
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. track — a song
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. cell — in a prison

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