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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. foot — a measure
  3. object — an aim
  4. spring — a coil
  5. tube — a container
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. ball — a great time
  9. fall — to drop
  10. tube — the underground
  11. row — a line
  12. row — to paddle
  13. object — to protest
  14. ball — a dance
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. fall — the season
  17. object — a thing
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. spring — of water
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. spring — the season
  24. foot — the bottom

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