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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — to paddle
  3. fall — the season
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. face — to confront
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fall — to drop
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. tear — to rip
  12. fall — to drop
  13. tear — from crying
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. branch — a division
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. face — part of the head
  20. current — happening now
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. row — a line
  23. face — to point toward
  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