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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · pitcher · perch · game · fall · cap · dip · tube

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. perch — the fish
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. fall — the season
  8. cap — a lid
  9. game — a match
  10. tube — the underground
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. dip — to sink
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. cap — of ice
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. game — wild animals
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. tube — a container
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. fall — to drop
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

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