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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fall — the season
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. drill — army training
  8. ball — a great time
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. prune — to trim
  12. scale — size or range
  13. drill — the tool
  14. scale — in music
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fine — all right
  17. fall — to drop
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a dance
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. drill — a practice
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. prune — the fruit

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