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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: rule · pop · chest · tube · fall · saw · stand · dip

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. chest — of your body
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. pop — soda
  5. chest — of your body
  6. tube — the underground
  7. pop — to visit
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. tube — a container
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — to sink
  13. rule — government
  14. stand — to bear
  15. pop — music
  16. rule — a law
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. chest — a box
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. saw — the tool
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. fall — the season
  24. dip — a sauce

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