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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: mouse · fan · spell · fall · sharp · rest · pitcher · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. spell — letters
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rest — what's left
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fall — the season
  12. spell — magic
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. spell — a short time
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. lean — thin
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rest — a break
  24. sharp — exactly

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