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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. fall — to drop
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bank — for money
  5. file — a line of people
  6. fall — to drop
  7. drill — army training
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. drill — a practice
  10. ball — a great time
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. file — a document
  16. ball — a dance
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. bank — for money
  19. file — a tool
  20. bank — of a river
  21. stem — to come from
  22. fall — the season
  23. toast — bread
  24. kick — in football

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