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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cold — not warm
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bear — the animal
  5. tube — a container
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. rock — music
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. fall — the season
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. rock — a stone
  18. lean — thin
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. tube — the underground
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — an illness

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