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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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468
Word bank
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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. perch — the fish
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. tube — a container
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wake — a trail
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pit — a hole
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. fall — the season
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. tube — the underground
  22. pit — in a race
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. nail — for a hammer

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