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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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. bore — to tire
  2. fall — the season
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. stand — to bear
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. tube — a container
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. tube — the underground
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bore — to drill
  20. wound — an injury
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. straw — a straw man
  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