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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. toast — bread
  5. lean — to bend
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. spell — magic
  12. fall — to drop
  13. lean — thin
  14. court — of a king
  15. spell — letters
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fall — the season
  19. spell — a short time
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. wake — a trail
  22. branch — a division
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of law

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