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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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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cue — for pool
  4. fall — the season
  5. suit — to fit
  6. field — farmland
  7. cue — a signal
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tube — a container
  11. field — for sport
  12. lean — to bend
  13. tube — the underground
  14. press — to push
  15. press — newspapers
  16. suit — in cards
  17. lean — thin
  18. cue — a hint
  19. press — a publisher
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. suit — clothes
  23. field — a subject
  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