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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 116 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. lean — thin
  4. board — to get on
  5. game — wild animals
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. fall — to drop
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. mine — for digging
  15. game — a match
  16. board — a committee
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. fall — the season
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. branch — a division
  21. lean — to bend
  22. chair — a leader
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. chair — a professorship

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