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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cap — a lid
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bank — of a river
  10. tube — a container
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. cell — a phone
  15. fall — the season
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bank — for money
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bank — for money
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. row — a line
  23. fall — to drop
  24. dip — a sauce

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