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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · spring · mine · rest · lie · craft · pitcher · wax

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rest — a break
  4. spring — of water
  5. craft — boats
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. spring — the season
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. rest — what's left
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fall — the season
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. spring — a coil
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. craft — a skill

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