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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. foot — a measure
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — army training
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. saw — the tool
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fall — the season
  18. branch — a division
  19. drill — the tool
  20. board — a committee
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. board — to get on
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. rash — hasty

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