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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. season — of the year
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. club — for dancing
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. fall — to drop
  8. club — for golf
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. tear — from crying
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. club — a group
  13. fall — to drop
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. fall — the season
  17. season — in sport
  18. tear — from crying
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. tear — to rip
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. vault — a safe

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