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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rock — music
  4. fall — the season
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pop — to visit
  8. rock — a stone
  9. stock — shares
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. stock — goods
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. land — ground
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — a country
  19. pop — music
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pop — soda

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