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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — for golf
  4. net — for catching
  5. root — of a word
  6. can — a tin
  7. root — of a plant
  8. net — after costs
  9. row — a line
  10. fall — to drop
  11. root — the cause
  12. can — a tin
  13. net — in sport
  14. fall — the season
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bore — to drill
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. club — a group
  21. stand — to bear
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — gave birth

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