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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. squash — the sport
  4. object — to protest
  5. fall — to drop
  6. object — an aim
  7. race — the arms race
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bank — for money
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. race — a contest
  12. squash — to crush
  13. fall — the season
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. hand — help
  16. race — humankind
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. object — a thing
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — rain

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