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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wound — an injury
  3. present — a gift
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. spring — the season
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. present — there
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. fall — the season
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. spring — a coil
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — to drill
  16. fall — to drop
  17. vault — a safe
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. spring — of water
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. present — the time now

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