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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. fall — the season
  3. file — a tool
  4. tear — to rip
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cap — a lid
  10. root — of a plant
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. file — a line of people
  14. root — the cause
  15. cap — a hat
  16. root — of a word
  17. mug — a face
  18. file — a document
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. mug — a cup
  21. cell — in biology
  22. mug — to rob
  23. stand — to bear
  24. cell — a phone

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