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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — to visit
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. cap — a lid
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. fall — to drop
  7. object — a thing
  8. saw — the tool
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. object — an aim
  11. cap — of ice
  12. row — a line
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fall — the season
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. branch — a division
  17. pop — music
  18. row — to paddle
  19. object — to protest
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cap — a hat
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. row — a quarrel

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