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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 120 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — magic
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bank — for money
  10. tear — from crying
  11. press — to push
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bank — for money
  14. saw — the tool
  15. tear — from crying
  16. spell — letters
  17. mate — a friend
  18. game — wild animals
  19. press — newspapers
  20. game — a match
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bank — of a river
  24. mate — to breed

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