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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 120 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. object — to protest
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. prune — to trim
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. object — a thing
  7. fall — to drop
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. shower — rain
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. chest — a box
  17. shower — to wash
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. object — an aim
  21. fall — the season
  22. perch — the fish
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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