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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fine — all right
  3. clip — to cut
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. mark — a grade
  7. current — electric
  8. fall — to drop
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. scale — in music
  11. clip — for paper
  12. mark — a trace
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bank — of a river
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — of water
  17. fall — the season
  18. date — the fruit
  19. clip — a video
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bank — for money
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bank — for money
  24. scale — for weighing

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