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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — the underground
  4. swing — music
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. swing — in golf
  7. fall — the season
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pop — music
  10. tube — a container
  11. track — to keep track
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. fall — to drop
  14. track — a path
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bound — certain
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pop — soda
  22. track — a song
  23. bound — tied together
  24. wax — to grow

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