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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. row — a line
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — a permit
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fall — the season
  10. branch — a division
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fall — to drop
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. can — a tin
  20. tear — to rip
  21. row — to paddle
  22. can — to be able to
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. can — a tin

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