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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.

Make a worksheet

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: pitcher · wind · land · key · object · fall · firm · leaves

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. firm — steady
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — a company
  5. object — to protest
  6. key — for a lock
  7. fall — to drop
  8. land — to come down
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. object — an aim
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. wind — moving air
  13. key — the most important part
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. land — ground
  16. fall — the season
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. key — in music
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. land — a country
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. object — a thing

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