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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. tube — a container
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — magic
  12. staff — employees
  13. bass — the fish
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. club — for dancing
  16. staff — a stick
  17. club — for golf
  18. wake — a trail
  19. lie — to recline
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. club — a group
  22. fall — the season
  23. staff — employees
  24. spell — a short time

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