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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bank — for money
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bank — for money
  8. mark — a grade
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bank — of a river
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. squash — the sport
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. stem — to come from
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fall — to drop
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. lean — thin
  24. tear — from crying

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