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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. kid — to tease
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. pop — soda
  6. fall — to drop
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. ground — a position
  9. fall — the season
  10. pop — to visit
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. ground — the earth
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. pop — music
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — music
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. rock — a stone
  23. sharp — clever
  24. ground — crushed

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