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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. tube — a container
  3. lie — to recline
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. fall — the season
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tube — the underground
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. kick — in football
  11. fall — to drop
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. land — a country
  14. wake — a trail
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tear — from crying
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fall — to drop
  24. land — ground

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