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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 120 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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. prune — to trim
  5. season — of the year
  6. race — humankind
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bound — certain
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. race — the arms race
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. fall — the season
  17. bound — obliged
  18. shower — to wash
  19. race — a contest
  20. bound — tied together
  21. lean — thin
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. prune — to trim
  24. lean — to bend

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