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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 124 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. tube — a container
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. tube — the underground
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. band — a music group
  9. season — in sport
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. band — a ring
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. lean — thin
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. fall — the season
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pitch — completely
  23. lean — to bend
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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