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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. hand — in cards
  4. fall — the season
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. swing — to play on
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. lean — to bend
  13. hand — help
  14. dip — to sink
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lean — thin
  17. bulb — for light
  18. date — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. swing — in golf
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. swing — music
  23. mate — a partner
  24. date — on the calendar

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