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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 124 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fall — to drop
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mark — a trace
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. shower — rain
  14. bulb — for light
  15. shower — to wash
  16. fall — the season
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. pound — a weight
  21. foot — a measure
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. wake — a trail
  24. foot — part of the body

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