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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. spring — the season
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. spring — a coil
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. board — a committee
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. spring — of water
  18. hand — in cards
  19. board — to get on
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. band — a music group
  22. fall — the season
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. fall — to drop

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