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

Word bank: pit · present · tear · deal · club · spell · trunk · fall

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. fall — to drop
  3. tear — to rip
  4. present — a gift
  5. tear — from crying
  6. club — for golf
  7. pit — in a race
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. present — there
  15. fall — to drop
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. deal — to handle
  18. pit — a hole
  19. club — a group
  20. spell — magic
  21. fall — the season
  22. present — the time now
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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