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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pop — to visit
  3. degree — an amount
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. fall — to drop
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. pop — soda
  11. fall — the season
  12. degree — temperature
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — to bear
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. pop — music
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wax — to grow
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. degree — from a university

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