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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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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: bowl · bear · pitcher · bay · clip · roll · wind · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. clip — a video
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. lean — thin
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. clip — for paper
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wind — moving air
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. roll — a list
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. roll — a cake
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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