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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fall — to drop
  4. drill — army training
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bat — the animal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. lie — to recline
  11. drill — the tool
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. prune — to trim
  18. drill — a practice
  19. fall — the season
  20. deal — to handle
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. staff — a stick

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