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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: fan · pitcher · wind · temple · object · lean · ball · ground

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. object — an aim
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wind — moving air
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. lean — thin
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. ground — a position
  16. object — a thing
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ground — the earth
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. object — to protest
  21. ball — a dance
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. ground — crushed
  24. pitcher — a jug

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