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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 124 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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. fall — the season
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. pound — a weight
  12. fork — in a road
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. date — the fruit
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. pound — for dogs
  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