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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. ground — crushed
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. fall — to drop
  9. land — ground
  10. wake — a trail
  11. deal — to handle
  12. fall — to drop
  13. ground — a position
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. land — a country
  20. stem — to come from
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. land — to come down
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fall — the season

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