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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. present — there
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. rash — hasty
  5. present — the time now
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fall — the season
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. mark — a grade
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wax — to grow
  14. cell — in biology
  15. rash — a series
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. mark — a trace
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cell — a phone
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. fine — all right
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. fine — high quality
  24. present — a gift

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