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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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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: lean · rest · fall · tube · saw · bowl · cue · mate

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. tube — the underground
  3. cue — a signal
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — to breed
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. tube — a container
  12. rest — a break
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. lean — thin
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fall — the season
  19. mate — a partner
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — for pool
  23. lean — to bend
  24. rest — what's left

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