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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 120 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bore — to tire
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. fall — the season
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. march — music
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. spring — of water
  11. race — humankind
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bore — to drill
  16. pound — a weight
  17. march — the month
  18. perch — the fish
  19. spring — the season
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. race — a contest
  22. march — the month
  23. fall — to drop
  24. perch — for a bird

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