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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pop — to visit
  3. root — of a word
  4. spell — a short time
  5. row — a line
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. root — of a plant
  8. present — a gift
  9. fall — the season
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. row — to paddle
  12. spell — magic
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bass — the fish
  15. fall — to drop
  16. present — there
  17. spell — letters
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — music
  20. bass — low music
  21. present — the time now
  22. root — the cause
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bass — the instrument

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