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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. tube — the underground
  5. fall — the season
  6. tube — a container
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. band — a ring
  10. stand — to bear
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — a stone
  13. band — a music group
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. rock — music
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. shower — to wash
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. shower — rain

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