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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wound — an injury
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. chip — for betting
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. club — for golf
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wound — an injury
  16. club — a group
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. chip — to eat
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. club — for dancing
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. branch — of a tree

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