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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. band — a music group
  5. prune — to trim
  6. degree — from a university
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wake — a trail
  13. band — a ring
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — an amount
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fan — to cool the air

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