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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. tube — a container
  3. march — the month
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bulb — for light
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. lean — to bend
  8. file — a line of people
  9. march — music
  10. branch — a division
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. fall — the season
  13. bulb — for light
  14. march — the month
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. fall — to drop
  17. file — a tool
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. file — a document
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. lean — thin
  24. fall — to drop

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