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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. suit — to fit
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. fall — the season
  6. hand — help
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. ground — crushed
  9. fall — to drop
  10. hand — in cards
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bound — certain
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. ground — the earth
  18. suit — clothes
  19. bound — tied together
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bound — obliged
  22. ground — a position
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. suit — in cards

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