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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. fall — to drop
  3. tube — the underground
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. can — to be able to
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — an aim
  8. cue — a hint
  9. fall — the season
  10. can — a tin
  11. cue — for pool
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. object — a thing
  16. cue — a signal
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. lean — to bend
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. tube — a container
  23. fall — to drop
  24. can — a tin

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