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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. cell — in biology
  5. spring — the season
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. staff — employees
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. cue — a signal
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spring — a coil
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. spring — of water
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. cell — a phone
  23. fall — the season
  24. lean — thin

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