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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 120 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. tube — the underground
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. tear — to rip
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. content — the amount
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fork — in a road
  17. content — happy
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. tube — a container
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. ground — the earth
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. ground — crushed

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