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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cold — an illness
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. object — a thing
  8. deal — to handle
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. object — to protest
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. cold — not warm
  15. lie — to recline
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. wax — to grow
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bat — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. object — an aim

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