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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. band — a ring
  3. lean — to bend
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. band — a music group
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. chest — a box
  13. fall — the season
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chest — of your body
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. lean — thin
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. wound — an injury

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