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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 120 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fall — to drop
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. tube — a container
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — a line
  8. tube — the underground
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rock — music
  11. squash — to crush
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. squash — the sport
  14. row — to paddle
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. march — music
  17. fall — the season
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. march — the month
  20. bank — for money
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. bank — for money
  23. rock — a stone
  24. bank — of a river

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