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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fall — the season
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. row — a line
  6. root — of a plant
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. root — the cause
  9. kick — in football
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fall — to drop
  12. row — to paddle
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. drill — a practice
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. fall — to drop
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. drill — the tool
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. root — of a word
  24. drill — army training

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