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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stock — goods
  3. saw — the tool
  4. spell — magic
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. fall — the season
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bear — the animal
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stock — shares
  18. spell — letters
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bear — the animal

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