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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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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: mate · wake · pitcher · staff · pop · fall · bulb · chest

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fall — to drop
  4. chest — a box
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pop — soda
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. chest — of your body
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pop — music
  15. wake — a trail
  16. staff — employees
  17. mate — a partner
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mate — to breed
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. fall — the season

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