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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: wound · fall · lean · track · object · hand · tube · dip

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. fall — the season
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. tube — a container
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. object — a thing
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. hand — in cards
  12. track — to keep track
  13. object — an aim
  14. hand — help
  15. object — to protest
  16. tube — the underground
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fall — to drop
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. track — a path

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