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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. spell — magic
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — electric
  5. plane — a tool
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. suit — clothes
  8. fall — the season
  9. suit — in cards
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. mine — for digging
  14. current — of water
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. spell — letters
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. suit — to fit
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. stem — to come from
  22. fall — to drop
  23. face — to point toward
  24. spell — a short time

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