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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 116 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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. plane — a tool
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. land — a country
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. can — to be able to
  10. fall — to drop
  11. can — a tin
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. fall — the season
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a great time
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. land — ground
  20. prune — to trim
  21. land — to come down
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. can — a tin
  24. patient — a sick person

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