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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: cell · foot · pitcher · clip · lean · rock · scale · fall

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fall — to drop
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. clip — a video
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. rock — a stone
  11. fall — to drop
  12. rock — music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. clip — to cut
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. foot — a measure
  17. cell — in biology
  18. fall — the season
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. scale — size or range
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. scale — in music
  24. clip — for paper

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