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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. cue — a hint
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bank — for money
  6. mug — a face
  7. mug — a cup
  8. tube — a container
  9. cue — a signal
  10. game — a match
  11. mug — to rob
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. tube — the underground
  15. cue — for pool
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bank — of a river
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bank — for money
  20. prune — to trim
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wake — a trail

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