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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mark — a trace
  3. rest — what's left
  4. clip — for paper
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. clip — a video
  9. fall — to drop
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. fall — the season
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. mark — a grade
  18. rest — a break
  19. bulb — for light
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. clip — to cut
  22. rest — what's left
  23. plane — a tool
  24. mark — to pay attention

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