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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: dip · cap · spell · perch · field · tube · fall · face

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  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. spell — letters
  2. perch — the fish
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — the underground
  5. dip — to sink
  6. cap — a lid
  7. field — for sport
  8. cap — a hat
  9. fall — to drop
  10. field — farmland
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. spell — magic
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — to point toward
  15. spell — a short time
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. field — a subject
  18. fall — the season
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cap — of ice
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. face — part of the head
  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