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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 116 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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — a country
  4. can — a tin
  5. bank — for money
  6. bound — tied together
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. bound — certain
  11. can — a tin
  12. content — happy
  13. fall — the season
  14. bound — obliged
  15. can — to be able to
  16. fall — to drop
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — the amount
  21. dip — to sink
  22. land — ground
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bank — for money

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