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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — of water
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — the cause
  8. clip — to cut
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — for golf
  12. drill — army training
  13. club — a group
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. root — of a plant
  17. rest — what's left
  18. clip — a video
  19. current — electric
  20. stand — to bear
  21. drill — the tool
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. drill — a practice
  24. clip — for paper

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