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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bulb — for light
  4. tear — to rip
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bulb — for light
  7. lie — to recline
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — the time now
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. present — there
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. charge — a price
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. fall — to drop
  17. tear — from crying
  18. kick — in football
  19. charge — electricity
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. charge — in control
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lash — to lash out
  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