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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. rule — government
  7. prune — to trim
  8. lie — to recline
  9. current — of water
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. current — happening now
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. row — to paddle
  18. stem — to come from
  19. current — electric
  20. row — a line
  21. fall — the season
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bulb — for light

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