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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. can — a tin
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. can — a tin
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. can — to be able to
  11. drill — army training
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. chair — a leader
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. drill — a practice
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. rock — to move gently

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