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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. fall — the season
  4. roll — a list
  5. fall — to drop
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. net — after costs
  8. fall — to drop
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — a position
  11. net — in sport
  12. prune — to trim
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. ground — the earth
  15. roll — a cake
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. prune — to trim
  18. drill — a practice
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. row — a line
  21. row — to paddle
  22. drill — army training
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. net — for catching

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