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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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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: fall · lie · rash · row · snap · squash · tube · net

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. snap — to click
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. net — after costs
  8. squash — to crush
  9. fall — to drop
  10. net — for catching
  11. rash — a series
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. tube — the underground
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. net — in sport
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rash — hasty
  21. lie — to recline
  22. squash — the sport
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. row — to paddle

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