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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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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: lean · firm · mouse · row · straw · bulb · fall · face

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. firm — decided
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. face — part of the head
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. fall — to drop
  12. row — to paddle
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. firm — steady
  15. row — a line
  16. firm — a company
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. lean — thin
  19. face — to confront
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bulb — for light
  24. face — to point toward

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