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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. firm — steady
  3. tear — from crying
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. fall — the season
  10. content — happy
  11. tear — to rip
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. kid — to tease
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. kid — child
  17. tear — from crying
  18. content — the amount
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. branch — a division
  22. fall — to drop
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — decided

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