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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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. trunk — of a car
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. current — happening now
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. fall — the season
  10. object — a thing
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. current — of water
  13. object — to protest
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. object — an aim
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. rush — hurry
  23. fork — in a road
  24. current — electric

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