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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · saw · bear · tube · cabinet · face · fall · kid

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  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. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. tube — the underground
  3. face — part of the head
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — child
  8. fall — the season
  9. rule — government
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. saw — the tool
  12. face — to point toward
  13. tube — a container
  14. fall — to drop
  15. face — to confront
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rule — a law
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. tube — in a tire
  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