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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 116 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. fall — to drop
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. spring — a coil
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cue — for pool
  10. spring — of water
  11. cue — a hint
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. fall — to drop
  14. spring — the season
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. tear — from crying
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. game — wild animals
  23. cue — a signal
  24. game — a match

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