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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fall — to drop
  4. club — for golf
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bark — to shout
  12. fall — the season
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. club — a group
  15. bass — low music
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. tube — the underground
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. tube — a container
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. tube — in a tire

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