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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 116 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rock — a stone
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rock — music
  7. spring — of water
  8. bank — for money
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. bank — for money
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bore — to drill
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. spring — a coil
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bank — of a river
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. cold — an illness
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — a tool
  23. bore — to tire
  24. spring — the season

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