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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. current — happening now
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. fall — to drop
  6. shower — rain
  7. squash — to crush
  8. shower — to wash
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. present — there
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. fall — the season
  13. current — of water
  14. present — the time now
  15. current — electric
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. present — a gift
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. date — the fruit
  20. wax — to grow
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. squash — the sport

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