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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. bulb — for light
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fall — to drop
  5. capital — money
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. stand — to bear
  8. track — a path
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. track — to keep track
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. chest — of your body
  14. fall — the season
  15. cell — a phone
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. fall — to drop
  19. chest — a box
  20. prune — to trim
  21. capital — a city
  22. cell — in biology
  23. chest — of your body
  24. track — a song

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