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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. perch — the fish
  3. track — a path
  4. rock — music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. drill — army training
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bass — low music
  10. track — a song
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. drill — the tool
  15. fall — the season
  16. drill — a practice
  17. fall — to drop
  18. track — to keep track
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — to come from
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rock — a stone

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