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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fine — all right
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. clip — a video
  5. net — after costs
  6. charge — electricity
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. net — for catching
  9. clip — for paper
  10. fall — the season
  11. band — a ring
  12. fine — high quality
  13. clip — to cut
  14. fall — to drop
  15. band — a music group
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. prune — to trim
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — in control
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. net — in sport
  24. fan — a supporter

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