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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: leaves · pit · jam · lean · fall · perch · tube · bat

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. lean — to bend
  5. fall — to drop
  6. tube — a container
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. lean — thin
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. pit — a hole
  18. bat — the animal
  19. pit — in a race
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. tube — in a tire

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