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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. kid — child
  4. fall — the season
  5. deal — to handle
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pop — soda
  8. fall — to drop
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pop — music
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. lie — to recline
  14. mark — a trace
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. bound — obliged
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bound — certain
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a grade
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bound — tied together
  24. fall — to drop

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