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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: fall · lean · object · spring · mark · fan · rule · patient

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — to protest
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — of water
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. mark — a trace
  8. rule — a law
  9. object — a thing
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mark — a grade
  14. lean — thin
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. lean — to bend
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. spring — the season
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fall — to drop
  24. lean — to rest against

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