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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. present — there
  3. present — a gift
  4. branch — a division
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. land — a country
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. land — ground
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. vault — a safe
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. pound — a weight
  20. land — to come down
  21. fall — the season
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. present — the time now
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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