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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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468
Word bank
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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. fall — to drop
  10. tube — a container
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. tube — the underground
  13. cell — in biology
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cell — a phone
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. root — of a plant
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. fall — the season
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. fall — to drop
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a word

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