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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. can — a tin
  4. spell — letters
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — a coil
  8. fall — to drop
  9. can — to be able to
  10. spell — magic
  11. tear — to rip
  12. can — a tin
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. tear — from crying
  15. spring — the season
  16. spell — a short time
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. tear — from crying

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