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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 · mine · tear · stock · pitcher · bowl · fan · fall

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fall — to drop
  4. tear — to rip
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. lean — thin
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. stock — shares
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — goods
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. lean — to bend
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. fall — the season
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pitcher — a jug

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