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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. suit — to fit
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. file — a document
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. perch — the fish
  8. suit — clothes
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. fall — to drop
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. stem — to come from
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. kick — in football
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a tool
  22. suit — in cards
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. tube — a container

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