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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bat — the animal
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. fall — the season
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — of a plant
  15. fall — to drop
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. root — the cause
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. snap — to click
  24. arm — part of the body

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