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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. wake — a trail
  7. file — a tool
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. fall — to drop
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. file — a line of people
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. branch — a division
  15. ground — a position
  16. deal — to handle
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. ground — the earth
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. ground — crushed
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. foot — a measure
  24. file — a document

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