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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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468
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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. swing — to play on
  3. fall — to drop
  4. lie — to recline
  5. snap — to click
  6. face — part of the head
  7. drill — a practice
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. drill — army training
  12. bear — the animal
  13. face — to point toward
  14. craft — a skill
  15. bear — the animal
  16. drill — the tool
  17. face — to confront
  18. swing — in golf
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. fall — the season
  21. swing — music
  22. fall — to drop
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a handicraft

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