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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. land — to come down
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bass — low music
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. land — ground
  8. fall — the season
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. kid — child
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bass — the fish
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. wake — a trail
  16. fall — to drop
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. land — a country
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bank — for money
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. lean — thin
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — of a river

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