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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 120 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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wake — a trail
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. file — a document
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. hand — help
  12. fall — the season
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. file — a tool
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bulb — for light
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. fall — to drop

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