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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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Word bank
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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: tube · mate · wound · fine · fall · lie · bat · cabinet

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bat — the animal
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. fall — the season
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. fine — all right
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wound — an injury
  21. lie — to recline
  22. tube — a container
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. lie — an untruth

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