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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bass — the fish
  3. tube — a container
  4. shower — to wash
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. wind — moving air
  7. vault — a safe
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bass — low music
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. saw — the tool
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. saw — the tool
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. wind — moving air
  21. tube — the underground
  22. fall — to drop
  23. shower — rain
  24. calf — a young animal

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