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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bulb — for light
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. stem — to come from
  10. court — of a king
  11. face — to confront
  12. court — for sport
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. face — to point toward
  17. court — of law
  18. fall — the season
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. face — part of the head
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fall — to drop
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. rush — hurry

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