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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. fall — the season
  4. spring — of water
  5. saw — the tool
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. saw — the tool
  8. perch — the fish
  9. spring — a coil
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. scale — in music
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. spring — the season
  15. bore — to tire
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — a face
  18. mug — to rob
  19. scale — size or range
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. fall — to drop
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bore — to drill
  24. perch — for a bird

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