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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. tear — from crying
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cap — a lid
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. cap — of ice
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. rash — hasty
  15. tear — to rip
  16. rest — a break
  17. squash — the sport
  18. fall — the season
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cap — a hat
  22. squash — to crush
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to click

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