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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. fall — to drop
  5. ground — crushed
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. file — a tool
  9. row — to paddle
  10. tear — to rip
  11. spring — the season
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. file — a document
  14. spring — of water
  15. row — a line
  16. tear — from crying
  17. ground — a position
  18. fall — the season
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. file — a line of people
  23. ground — the earth
  24. spring — a coil

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