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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. suit — to fit
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lean — to bend
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mate — a partner
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. fall — to drop
  13. suit — clothes
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. tube — the underground
  17. suit — in cards
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stem — to come from
  20. lean — thin
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bat — the animal
  23. mate — a friend
  24. fall — the season

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