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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. rush — hurry
  6. mate — a partner
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. deal — to handle
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. fall — the season
  20. mate — a friend
  21. stem — to come from
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. mate — to breed
  24. deal — an agreement

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