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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bank — of a river
  3. rash — hasty
  4. last — to go on
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. press — newspapers
  11. last — final
  12. pound — a weight
  13. press — to push
  14. last — finally
  15. bank — for money
  16. rash — a series
  17. bank — for money
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. fall — the season
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. press — a publisher
  24. wind — moving air

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