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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. root — of a plant
  3. prune — to trim
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. rule — government
  8. fall — to drop
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. root — of a word
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rule — a law
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fall — the season
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. kick — in football
  22. mine — for digging
  23. root — the cause
  24. mine — an explosive

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