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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: bass · drill · pit · stick · fall · land · rest · tube

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bass — the fish
  3. pit — in a race
  4. land — ground
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fall — to drop
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. rest — what's left
  9. tube — a container
  10. bass — low music
  11. land — a country
  12. fall — the season
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. drill — a practice
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rest — a break
  17. pit — a hole
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. tube — the underground
  24. rest — what's left

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