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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hide · wake · mark · fall · scale · tube · racket · rash

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. wake — a trail
  6. fall — the season
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — a container
  9. fall — to drop
  10. scale — size or range
  11. rash — hasty
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. scale — in music
  19. mark — a trace
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. rash — a series
  24. mark — a grade

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