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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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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 · spring · tube · lie · craft · rest · racket · chest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fall — to drop
  3. chest — a box
  4. craft — a skill
  5. spring — a coil
  6. fall — the season
  7. craft — boats
  8. rest — what's left
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. rest — a break
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. rest — what's left
  15. spring — of water
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. spring — the season
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. tube — a container
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. lie — to recline
  22. fall — to drop
  23. chest — of your body
  24. racket — for tennis

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