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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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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: bay · nail · bulb · lean · fall · rule · pitch · wind

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. fall — to drop
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. rule — a law
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rule — government
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. fall — the season
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. wind — moving air
  22. lean — thin
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. bulb — for light

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