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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: mug · cabinet · lean · dip · stock · fall · mine · kid

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. kid — to tease
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. stock — goods
  6. fall — the season
  7. mug — a cup
  8. fall — to drop
  9. lean — thin
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mug — a face
  12. mine — for digging
  13. fall — to drop
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to sink
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. kid — child
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. mug — to rob
  23. stock — shares
  24. cabinet — ministers

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