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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 124 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mark — a grade
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bulb — for light
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. fall — the season
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. fall — to drop
  15. mark — a trace
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — a lid
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. wake — a trail
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bulb — for light
  24. fan — to cool the air

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