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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.

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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 · face · rule · wake · cell · pitcher · wind · staff

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — part of the head
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. cell — a phone
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. wind — moving air
  8. staff — a stick
  9. rule — government
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. staff — employees
  15. lean — to bend
  16. staff — employees
  17. lean — thin
  18. wake — a trail
  19. cell — in biology
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. face — to confront
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rule — a law

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