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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. pit — in a race
  15. season — in sport
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — of water
  19. tube — the underground
  20. season — of the year
  21. bass — low music
  22. tube — a container
  23. pit — a hole
  24. fall — to drop

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