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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — to bear
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. toast — bread
  8. fall — the season
  9. tube — a container
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bark — to shout
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. kid — child
  18. fall — to drop
  19. tube — the underground
  20. kid — to tease
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. prune — to trim

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