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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fall — to drop
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. fall — the season
  7. cold — not warm
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. craft — a skill
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — to tire
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — help
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — an illness
  21. craft — boats
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. leaves — lets stay

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