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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. fall — the season
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cold — an illness
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cold — not warm
  9. face — part of the head
  10. fall — to drop
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bear — the animal
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. chip — to eat
  15. face — to confront
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. chip — for betting
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mouse — for a computer

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