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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mark — a grade
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a line
  5. land — ground
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. fall — to drop
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. fall — the season
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. land — a country
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a trace
  17. land — to come down
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bark — to shout
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — a permit
  23. wind — moving air
  24. fall — to drop

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