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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. rock — music
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. row — a line
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. suit — clothes
  8. snap — to click
  9. branch — a division
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — a position
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. rock — a stone
  14. suit — to fit
  15. roll — a list
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. suit — in cards
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. ground — crushed
  22. row — to paddle
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. roll — a cake

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