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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. prune — to trim
  4. face — to confront
  5. fall — to drop
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. hand — help
  9. face — to point toward
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. hand — in cards
  12. kid — to tease
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. face — part of the head
  15. prune — to trim
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fall — to drop
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. deal — to handle
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. kid — child
  24. nail — for a hammer

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