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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 124 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rule — a law
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. prune — to trim
  5. track — a path
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. net — for catching
  9. track — to keep track
  10. wax — to grow
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. net — in sport
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. rule — government
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. fall — to drop
  18. track — a song
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. net — after costs
  22. foot — a measure
  23. fall — the season
  24. wax — for sculpting

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