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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. fall — to drop
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. spell — letters
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. band — a ring
  12. march — the month
  13. saw — the tool
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. fall — the season
  16. band — a music group
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. spell — magic
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. spell — a short time
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. toast — bread
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. band — a rubber band

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