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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fall — to drop
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. row — a line
  10. plane — a tool
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. branch — a division
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — the earth
  17. game — a match
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. fall — the season
  20. ground — crushed
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. game — wild animals
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — lets stay

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