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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. prune — to trim
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pop — soda
  7. fall — to drop
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bulb — for light
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pop — to visit
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lie — to recline
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pop — music
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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