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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 116 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. fall — the season
  5. cap — a hat
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tear — from crying
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. tube — a container
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bark — to shout
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tube — in a tire

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