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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 120 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: rest · fall · fan · stem · fine · rule · key · snap

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. stem — to come from
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. fall — to drop
  5. key — the most important part
  6. fine — all right
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. rest — what's left
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. fall — to drop
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to click
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. rest — a break
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. rule — government
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rule — a law
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fall — the season
  23. key — for a lock
  24. fan — a supporter

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