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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: lean · staff · pound · bat · track · wind · suit · spring

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bat — the animal
  4. suit — in cards
  5. staff — employees
  6. suit — clothes
  7. lean — to bend
  8. track — to keep track
  9. spring — of water
  10. staff — employees
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — a weight
  14. track — a path
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. spring — the season
  17. suit — to fit
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. track — a song
  20. spring — a coil
  21. staff — a stick
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lean — thin
  24. bat — in an idiom

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