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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: march · fall · racket · squash · dip · pop · patient · ground

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. pop — to visit
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. march — the month
  6. pop — soda
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. squash — to crush
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fall — the season
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. ground — the earth
  17. pop — music
  18. march — music
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — a position
  21. fall — to drop
  22. squash — the sport
  23. march — the month
  24. dip — to sink

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