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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. current — electric
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. fall — the season
  9. current — of water
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. squash — to crush
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — a short time
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. snap — to click
  20. squash — the sport
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. spell — letters
  23. fall — to drop
  24. current — happening now

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