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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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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: dip · cabinet · bay · mine · cue · lean · wind · cap

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. cap — of ice
  3. lean — thin
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. lean — to bend
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. dip — to sink
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cap — a hat
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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