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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. swing — music
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. can — to be able to
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. spell — a short time
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. prune — to trim
  12. spell — letters
  13. can — a tin
  14. pound — a weight
  15. wind — moving air
  16. swing — in golf
  17. wind — moving air
  18. spell — magic
  19. can — a tin
  20. fall — to drop
  21. swing — to play on
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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