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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 jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. swing — music
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. fall — the season
  11. swing — to play on
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mine — for digging
  14. chair — a leader
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. fine — high quality
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. shower — rain
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. chair — a professorship

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