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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · wake · toast · hide · wind · land · lean · hand

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. land — to come down
  5. toast — bread
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — thin
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. land — a country
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. wind — moving air
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. hand — help
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. hand — in cards
  23. land — ground
  24. hide — to keep secret

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