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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: wake · fall · pop · board · face · lean · ball · dip

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. lean — to bend
  3. ball — a great time
  4. lean — thin
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pop — soda
  10. board — a committee
  11. ball — a dance
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. pop — to visit
  16. face — part of the head
  17. pop — music
  18. wake — a trail
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — to point toward
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. board — to get on
  24. dip — to sink

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