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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: lean · kid · bulb · game · fan · wind · bay · row

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. kid — to tease
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. lean — to bend
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. row — a line
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bulb — for light
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. lean — thin
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bulb — for light
  24. row — to paddle

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