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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lean — thin
  3. bound — tied together
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bound — obliged
  6. spell — letters
  7. root — of a plant
  8. face — to point toward
  9. fall — the season
  10. lean — to bend
  11. face — part of the head
  12. root — the cause
  13. branch — a division
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. fall — to drop
  17. spell — magic
  18. face — to confront
  19. bound — certain
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. spell — a short time
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. root — of a word

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