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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 120 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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. firm — a company
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bark — to shout
  6. chair — a leader
  7. firm — steady
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. prune — to trim
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. last — final
  15. firm — decided
  16. wake — a trail
  17. prune — to trim
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. fall — the season
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — of a tree

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