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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: lean · rash · land · cabinet · face · fall · season · bass

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. land — ground
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. land — a country
  5. rash — hasty
  6. land — to come down
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. face — part of the head
  10. bass — low music
  11. lean — thin
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bass — the fish
  14. fall — the season
  15. face — to point toward
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. season — in sport
  22. face — to confront
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. rash — a series

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