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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. lean — to bend
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. fall — the season
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. row — to paddle
  11. prune — to trim
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. chest — of your body
  14. lean — thin
  15. shower — rain
  16. row — a line
  17. chest — a box
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. shower — to wash
  23. prune — to trim
  24. chest — of your 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