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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: fall · dip · foot · nail · march · kid · bear · suit

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. march — the month
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. suit — in cards
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — child
  10. fall — to drop
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bear — the animal
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. fall — the season
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. bear — the animal
  17. dip — to sink
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — to fit
  22. kid — to tease
  23. fall — to drop
  24. nail — for a hammer

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