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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. drill — army training
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. fall — to drop
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. lean — to bend
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. date — the fruit
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. lean — thin
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. fall — the season
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. lie — to recline
  24. date — on the calendar

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