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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — a thing
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. pound — a weight
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. object — an aim
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. wake — a trail
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. snap — to click
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. chair — a leader

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