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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. wind — moving air
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. cell — in biology
  7. lie — to recline
  8. wind — moving air
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fall — to drop
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. spring — a coil
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — the season
  22. cell — a phone
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. lie — an untruth

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