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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. suit — to fit
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. wound — an injury
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. suit — clothes
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bulb — for light
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. suit — in cards
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wound — an injury

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