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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. hand — help
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. spring — the season
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. spring — a coil
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. season — of the year
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. season — in sport
  22. hand — in cards
  23. spring — of water
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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