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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a ring
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mug — a cup
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mug — to rob
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stand — to bear
  13. band — a music group
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fall — the season
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. prune — to trim
  20. tear — to rip
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mug — a face
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. hide — animal skin

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