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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cell · game · pitch · lean · fall · bear · fan · patient

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. fall — to drop
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. cell — a phone
  7. game — wild animals
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bear — the animal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cell — in biology
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. lean — thin
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. pitch — completely
  23. fall — the season
  24. pitch — a sports field

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