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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. fall — the season
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bark — to shout
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bulb — for light
  12. last — final
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pop — music
  16. last — to go on
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pop — to visit
  19. last — finally
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pop — soda

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