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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. tear — to rip
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. lean — to bend
  5. board — a committee
  6. wound — an injury
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. branch — a division
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. deal — to handle
  15. fall — the season
  16. wound — an injury
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. tear — from crying
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. lean — thin
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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