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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · field · lean · lie · chest · degree · bulb · fall

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — from a university
  7. field — for sport
  8. bulb — for light
  9. lean — thin
  10. chest — of your body
  11. field — farmland
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. lean — to bend
  17. fall — the season
  18. degree — an amount
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. field — a subject
  22. bulb — for light
  23. chest — of your body
  24. lie — to recline

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