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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. land — ground
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — army training
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. land — a country
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. land — to come down
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bulb — for light

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