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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 116 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. row — to paddle
  3. fall — the season
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. track — a path
  9. bear — the animal
  10. spring — of water
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — a weight
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. row — a line
  20. bark — to shout
  21. track — a song
  22. spring — the season
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. track — to keep track

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