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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. drill — army training
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. lie — to recline
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. fall — to drop
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. tube — a container
  9. drill — the tool
  10. object — an aim
  11. fall — to drop
  12. stock — shares
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. fall — the season
  15. stock — goods
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. object — a thing
  18. field — for sport
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bark — to shout
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — a subject
  23. drill — a practice
  24. tube — the underground

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