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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cold — an illness
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lie — to recline
  6. stock — goods
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bass — low music
  9. fall — the season
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wax — to grow
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bass — the fish
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. stock — shares
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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