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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. deal — to handle
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. wake — a trail
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. rock — a stone
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. fall — the season
  12. stem — to come from
  13. shower — rain
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. fall — to drop
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. shower — to wash
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — for digging
  23. rock — music
  24. fall — to drop

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