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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. march — the month
  4. swing — to play on
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. swing — in golf
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bulb — for light
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. rush — hurry
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. swing — music
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. band — a music group
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. band — a ring
  24. stem — to come from

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