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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spring · cabinet · tube · kick · stand · track · prune · fall

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. fall — the season
  6. track — to keep track
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. tube — the underground
  11. fall — to drop
  12. kick — in football
  13. track — a path
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. fall — to drop
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. stand — to bear
  19. tube — a container
  20. spring — the season
  21. track — a song
  22. spring — of water
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. cabinet — ministers

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