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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: ball · wake · fall · tube · toast · cabinet · wind · rash

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. ball — a dance
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wind — moving air
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wind — moving air
  11. ball — a great time
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wake — a trail
  14. toast — bread
  15. rash — a series
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. fall — to drop
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. tube — a container
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. fall — the season
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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