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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. degree — from a university
  4. fall — to drop
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spell — magic
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bank — for money
  11. bark — to shout
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bank — for money
  14. spell — a short time
  15. degree — temperature
  16. fall — the season
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. spring — the season
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. spell — letters
  23. bank — of a river
  24. spring — of water

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