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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: cabinet · land · face · saw · lean · fan · rash · bay

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. land — ground
  3. lean — to bend
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. face — part of the head
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. face — to point toward
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. land — a country
  14. face — to confront
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. land — to come down
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. fan — a supporter

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