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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. present — there
  3. fall — the season
  4. net — after costs
  5. wound — an injury
  6. spell — a short time
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. spell — magic
  9. present — a gift
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. net — in sport
  13. fall — to drop
  14. scale — size or range
  15. net — for catching
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. present — the time now
  19. wound — an injury
  20. spell — letters
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. scale — in music
  24. bank — for money

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