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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. mug — a cup
  3. spell — magic
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wind — moving air
  7. swing — to play on
  8. capital — a city
  9. mug — to rob
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. swing — music
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. lie — to recline
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. mug — a face
  21. spell — letters
  22. fall — to drop
  23. swing — in golf
  24. spell — a short time

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