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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 116 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: cue · tear · march · fall · stem · bore · tube · ball

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bore — to tire
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to drill
  6. tube — a container
  7. fall — to drop
  8. tear — to rip
  9. march — the month
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cue — a signal
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. ball — a dance
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. cue — a hint
  20. ball — a great time
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. fall — the season

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