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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pop — soda
  3. bank — for money
  4. clip — to cut
  5. root — of a plant
  6. foot — a measure
  7. clip — a video
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bank — of a river
  10. root — of a word
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. fall — the season
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. rock — music
  17. bank — for money
  18. root — the cause
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. rock — a stone
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. fall — to drop
  23. clip — for paper
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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