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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. bulb — for light
  4. kid — child
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. stem — to come from
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. kick — in football
  10. bulb — for light
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kid — to tease
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell

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