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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 · rock · object · row · fall · snap · pitcher · wound

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. lean — thin
  3. snap — to click
  4. object — to protest
  5. rock — a stone
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. rock — music
  9. row — to paddle
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wound — an injury
  12. object — an aim
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. object — a thing
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. lean — to bend
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. row — a line
  24. pitcher — a jug

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