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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  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. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. tear — to rip
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. club — a group
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. stock — shares
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. club — for golf
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. club — for dancing
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. fall — the season
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. stock — goods
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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