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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. fall — the season
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cell — a phone
  10. press — to push
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. cell — in biology
  13. press — a publisher
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. fall — to drop
  21. press — newspapers
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. saw — the tool

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