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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. fall — to drop
  3. lean — thin
  4. fall — to drop
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bore — to drill
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. last — final
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wake — a trail
  14. lean — to bend
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to tire
  18. fall — the season
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. last — to go on
  24. prune — to trim

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