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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. tube — the underground
  6. prune — to trim
  7. file — a line of people
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. file — a document
  11. fall — the season
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. scale — in music
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. shower — to wash
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the sport
  21. scale — size or range
  22. shower — rain
  23. tube — a container
  24. prune — to trim

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