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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. root — of a word
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. roll — a cake
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. current — of water
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. current — happening now
  16. root — of a plant
  17. tube — a container
  18. current — electric
  19. roll — a list
  20. fall — the season
  21. root — the cause
  22. march — music
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. roll — on a roll

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