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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — a break
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. roll — a cake
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. firm — steady
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. firm — decided
  11. fall — the season
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. mine — for digging
  14. land — to come down
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. firm — a company
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. wax — to grow
  21. rest — what's left
  22. land — ground
  23. land — a country
  24. roll — a list

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