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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: fine · ground · mine · rush · toast · wind · lean · can

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. fine — all right
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. mine — for digging
  6. wind — moving air
  7. can — to be able to
  8. ground — the earth
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. ground — crushed
  11. can — a tin
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. can — a tin
  14. fine — high quality
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. toast — bread
  17. ground — a position
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. lean — thin
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. rush — hurry
  24. toast — the most admired

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