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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. fall — the season
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wind — moving air
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. lie — to recline
  17. capital — a city
  18. bass — the fish
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bass — low music
  21. capital — money
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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