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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. wound — an injury
  3. firm — decided
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. fall — the season
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. fall — to drop
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fall — to drop
  13. firm — steady
  14. spell — a short time
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — a grade
  18. spell — letters
  19. prune — to trim
  20. land — to come down
  21. wound — an injury
  22. land — a country
  23. land — ground
  24. spell — magic

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