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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. fall — to drop
  4. roll — a list
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wind — moving air
  7. roll — a cake
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. kick — in football
  10. row — to paddle
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. charge — in control
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. row — a line
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — a price
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. fall — the season
  24. mouse — for a computer

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