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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 116 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 · club · wind · lean · tear · ball · cabinet · object

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lean — to bend
  6. object — a thing
  7. club — a group
  8. wind — moving air
  9. lean — thin
  10. tear — from crying
  11. club — for golf
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. tear — to rip
  15. ball — a dance
  16. club — for dancing
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. object — an aim
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. ball — a great time

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