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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 120 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lean — thin
  7. stock — goods
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. lean — to bend
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. rush — hurry
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. tube — the underground
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rush — a thrill

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