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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rash — hasty
  3. pound — a weight
  4. dip — to sink
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. stock — shares
  10. chest — of your body
  11. perch — the fish
  12. fall — the season
  13. chest — a box
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. stock — goods
  18. rash — a series
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. fall — to drop
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. chest — of your body
  24. perch — for a bird

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