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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. fall — to drop
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. mine — for digging
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. fall — the season
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — to grow
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — a phone
  24. safe — out of danger

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