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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stem — to come from
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. cap — of ice
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. cap — a lid
  9. rest — what's left
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. tube — the underground
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bulb — for light
  14. tube — a container
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. fall — the season
  18. cap — a hat
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rest — a break
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bulb — for light

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