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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 120 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: cold · ruler · stick · calf · tube · fall · cabinet · suit

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. suit — to fit
  7. fall — the season
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. tube — the underground
  10. cold — an illness
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. suit — clothes
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cold — not warm
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. suit — in cards
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. tube — a container

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