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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. shower — to wash
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. deal — to handle
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. fall — the season
  10. bound — certain
  11. fall — to drop
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. sharp — clever
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bank — for money
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bank — for money
  20. shower — rain
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bank — of a river
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. prune — to trim

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