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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 116 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 ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. kid — to tease
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. stock — goods
  8. tube — the underground
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. kid — child
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. snap — to click
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. tube — a container
  17. fall — the season
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. stock — shares
  21. prune — to trim
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. prune — to trim
  24. 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