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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. cap — a lid
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mug — a face
  5. wind — moving air
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. cap — a hat
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cap — of ice
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fall — to drop
  14. staff — employees
  15. mug — a cup
  16. staff — a stick
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mug — to rob
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. wind — moving air
  23. staff — employees
  24. fall — the season

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