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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. spell — magic
  3. clip — for paper
  4. tear — from crying
  5. ground — crushed
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. ground — a position
  8. clip — a video
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. spell — letters
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. spell — a short time
  13. tear — from crying
  14. staff — employees
  15. tear — to rip
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. ground — the earth
  19. clip — to cut
  20. fall — to drop
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. foot — a measure
  24. fall — the season

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