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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. shower — to wash
  3. firm — steady
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. staff — employees
  9. lean — thin
  10. firm — a company
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. lean — to bend
  13. staff — a stick
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cap — a hat
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. staff — employees
  19. firm — decided
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. cap — a lid
  22. shower — rain
  23. fall — the season
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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