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

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. fall — the season
  5. drill — army training
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. drill — the tool
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. drill — a practice
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pitch — completely
  13. fall — to drop
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a list
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. roll — a cake
  18. fall — to drop

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