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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 116 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. staff — employees
  3. chip — for betting
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bank — of a river
  7. staff — a stick
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bank — for money
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bank — for money
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wound — an injury
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — the most important part
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. staff — employees
  19. chip — to eat
  20. key — in music
  21. fall — the season
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wound — an injury

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