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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. spring — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. saw — the tool
  7. drill — army training
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cell — a phone
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fine — high quality
  12. squash — to crush
  13. fall — the season
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. spring — of water
  16. drill — a practice
  17. spring — a coil
  18. cell — in biology
  19. prune — to trim
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. fine — all right
  22. squash — the sport
  23. prune — to trim
  24. drill — the tool

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