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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 always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. object — to protest
  3. cap — a lid
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. tear — from crying
  9. season — in sport
  10. object — an aim
  11. object — a thing
  12. tear — to rip
  13. cap — of ice
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fall — to drop
  17. season — of the year
  18. cap — a hat
  19. fine — high quality
  20. tear — from crying
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. straw — dry grass

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