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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: swing · tube · straw · safe · fall · wake · squash · lean

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. swing — in golf
  8. lean — to bend
  9. tube — a container
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. squash — the sport
  14. tube — the underground
  15. swing — music
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. fall — to drop
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. lean — thin
  20. wake — a trail
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. swing — to play on
  23. squash — to crush
  24. safe — a strongbox

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