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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: fall · leaves · vault · chest · rule · toast · lean · saw

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. lean — to bend
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fall — to drop
  5. chest — of your body
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. vault — a safe
  8. rule — government
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. lean — thin
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. saw — the tool
  17. chest — of your body
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. chest — a box
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. fall — to drop
  22. toast — bread
  23. rule — a law
  24. lean — to rest against

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