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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. tube — a container
  3. fall — the season
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fall — to drop
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. tube — the underground
  9. fall — to drop
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. branch — a division
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. scale — in music
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stand — to bear
  24. scale — size or range

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