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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. stem — to come from
  5. lie — to recline
  6. club — for dancing
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. fall — to drop
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. fall — the season
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. club — for golf
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bat — the animal
  21. last — finally
  22. club — a group
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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