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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. field — farmland
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bear — the animal
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bear — the animal
  12. dip — to sink
  13. fall — the season
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. craft — boats
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bore — to drill
  24. kick — in football

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