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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bore — to tire
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bank — for money
  8. field — a subject
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bank — for money
  11. field — for sport
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. date — the fruit
  14. bore — to drill
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rule — a law
  17. tube — the underground
  18. field — farmland
  19. fall — the season
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. tube — a container
  24. rule — government

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