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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. tear — to rip
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. staff — employees
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. kid — child
  7. stand — to bear
  8. staff — a stick
  9. suit — clothes
  10. fall — the season
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. tear — from crying
  16. suit — to fit
  17. staff — employees
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. kid — to tease
  22. suit — in cards
  23. season — in sport
  24. hide — to keep secret

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