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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 124 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 · wind · ball · face · lean · root · bay · cap

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cap — a hat
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. cap — of ice
  10. face — part of the head
  11. ball — a great time
  12. cap — a lid
  13. root — of a word
  14. lean — to bend
  15. root — the cause
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. root — of a plant
  19. lean — thin
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. face — to confront
  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