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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stand — to bear
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. scale — size or range
  8. fall — to drop
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. scale — in music
  14. branch — a division
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bark — to shout
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fall — the season
  24. bark — 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