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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stem — to come from
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. tear — from crying
  10. capital — money
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mug — to rob
  13. bass — the fish
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mug — a face
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fall — the season
  21. mug — a cup
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bass — low music
  24. fall — to drop

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