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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. field — farmland
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. capital — money
  5. fall — to drop
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. tube — a container
  9. capital — a city
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. tube — the underground
  15. field — for sport
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. prune — to trim
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. field — a subject
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. fall — to drop

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