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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. net — after costs
  3. lie — to recline
  4. cue — a signal
  5. tear — from crying
  6. branch — a division
  7. bound — tied together
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fall — the season
  10. cue — a hint
  11. tear — from crying
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bound — certain
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. net — for catching
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. tear — to rip
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. fall — to drop
  21. net — in sport
  22. bound — obliged
  23. cue — for pool
  24. wax — to grow

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