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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. fall — to drop
  3. firm — steady
  4. drill — the tool
  5. fall — the season
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. mate — to breed
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — to come from
  13. drill — a practice
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. firm — a company
  16. perch — the fish
  17. drill — army training
  18. fall — to drop
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. mate — a friend
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. firm — decided
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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