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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. club — a group
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. hand — help
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. suit — to fit
  7. pound — a weight
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. suit — in cards
  10. suit — clothes
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mine — for digging
  15. tube — the underground
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. club — for golf
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. club — for dancing
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. fall — the season
  24. tube — a container

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