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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. season — of the year
  3. pop — to visit
  4. band — a music group
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pop — soda
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. season — in sport
  10. fall — to drop
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. tear — from crying
  15. saw — the tool
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. plane — a tool
  19. band — a ring
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pop — music
  22. tear — to rip
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. fall — to drop

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