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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. staff — a stick
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. field — for sport
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. pop — to visit
  7. fall — the season
  8. field — farmland
  9. staff — employees
  10. prune — to trim
  11. field — a subject
  12. pop — soda
  13. bass — the fish
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wake — a trail
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. foot — a measure
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. staff — employees
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bass — low music
  23. pop — music
  24. foot — the bottom

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