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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. rest — a break
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fall — to drop
  5. lean — thin
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. clip — to cut
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rest — what's left
  11. craft — boats
  12. lean — to bend
  13. fall — the season
  14. craft — a skill
  15. clip — for paper
  16. kid — child
  17. clip — a video
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. wake — a trail
  21. rest — what's left
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. kid — to tease
  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