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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. tube — a container
  3. scale — size or range
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. fall — the season
  6. season — of the year
  7. dip — to sink
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. scale — in music
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — to shout
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. tube — the underground
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. fall — to drop
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. fall — to drop
  23. shower — rain
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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