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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.

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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: fall · wind · object · cabinet · bay · drill · face · tube

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  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. tube — the underground
  2. object — an aim
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. object — a thing
  5. face — part of the head
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. face — to point toward
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. drill — a practice
  16. object — to protest
  17. drill — the tool
  18. face — to confront
  19. tube — a container
  20. drill — army training
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bay — a horse colour
  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