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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  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. mine — for digging
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. club — for golf
  7. fall — the season
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bank — of a river
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bank — for money
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bound — certain
  15. scale — size or range
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. stand — to bear
  19. scale — in music
  20. bound — tied together
  21. club — for dancing
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. club — a group
  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