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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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. date — the fruit
  4. drill — a practice
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. tube — the underground
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fall — to drop
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — the tool
  19. tube — a container
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. fall — the season

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