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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. can — a tin
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wound — an injury
  5. can — a tin
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. can — to be able to
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wax — to grow
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. perch — the fish
  16. wound — an injury
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. fall — the season
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. season — in sport
  22. tube — a container
  23. season — of the year
  24. trunk — of a car

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