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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. fall — the season
  8. mine — for digging
  9. game — a match
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — to drill
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. track — a path
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. track — to keep track
  21. game — wild animals
  22. track — a song
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. prune — to trim

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