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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. root — the cause
  3. tear — to rip
  4. fall — to drop
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. current — electric
  11. tear — from crying
  12. current — of water
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. root — of a plant
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fall — the season
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. root — of a word
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. current — happening now
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. kick — in football

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