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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. sharp — clever
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pound — a weight
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. present — a gift
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fall — the season
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. roll — a list
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. present — there
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. present — the time now
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. prune — to trim
  22. fall — to drop
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pound — to hit hard

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