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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: season · lie · degree · drill · fall · stem · tube · ball

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — a practice
  4. degree — from a university
  5. tube — a container
  6. drill — the tool
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. ball — a dance
  9. fall — to drop
  10. degree — an amount
  11. fall — the season
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. stem — to come from
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — in sport
  18. tube — the underground
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. degree — temperature
  22. lie — to recline
  23. ball — a great time
  24. fall — to drop

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