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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: object · fall · spring · scale · leaves · mine · straw · pit

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. fall — to drop
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pit — a hole
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. object — to protest
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. object — a thing
  10. scale — in music
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. spring — a coil
  13. object — an aim
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pit — in a race
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. fall — the season
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — size or range
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. spring — of water
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. spring — the season
  24. leaves — of a tree

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