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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. can — a tin
  6. fall — to drop
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. can — to be able to
  10. dip — to sink
  11. saw — the tool
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. fall — the season
  14. tube — the underground
  15. present — there
  16. tube — a container
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. can — a tin
  19. fall — to drop
  20. tear — to rip
  21. present — a gift
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. present — the time now
  24. saw — the tool

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