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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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. spell — magic
  3. sharp — clever
  4. stem — to come from
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. spell — a short time
  9. march — the month
  10. bore — to tire
  11. mark — a grade
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. fall — to drop
  15. mark — a trace
  16. spell — letters
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. fall — the season
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bore — to drill
  24. nail — on a finger

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