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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 116 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. branch — a division
  3. cap — a hat
  4. lean — to bend
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bound — obliged
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — hasty
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. court — of a king
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bound — certain
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cap — a lid
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. cap — of ice
  20. lean — thin
  21. court — for sport
  22. bound — tied together
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. court — of law

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