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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fall — to drop
  4. land — to come down
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. drill — army training
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. mark — a grade
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. prune — to trim
  14. drill — the tool
  15. mark — a trace
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. rest — what's left
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. fall — to drop
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. fall — the season
  23. drill — a practice
  24. land — ground

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