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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 120 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. land — ground
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. land — a country
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — low music
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. fall — the season
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. fall — to drop
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. plane — a tool
  22. wax — to grow
  23. land — to come down
  24. coach — a trainer

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