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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. fall — to drop
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. tube — a container
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. tube — the underground
  11. firm — decided
  12. march — music
  13. firm — a company
  14. lie — to recline
  15. fall — the season
  16. march — the month
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. firm — steady
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. lie — an untruth

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