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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — to bend
  4. object — a thing
  5. bark — to shout
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. fall — the season
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — an aim
  16. ground — the earth
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. ground — a position
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. lean — thin
  24. rush — a thrill

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