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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. current — electric
  3. fall — the season
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. shower — to wash
  6. fall — to drop
  7. deal — to handle
  8. current — happening now
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. press — to push
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. current — of water
  18. bore — to drill
  19. shower — rain
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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