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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 120 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. tear — to rip
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. current — of water
  5. cap — of ice
  6. hand — help
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. cap — a lid
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fall — to drop
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. band — a music group
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. hand — in cards
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. fall — to drop
  18. band — a ring
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cap — a hat
  21. current — electric
  22. tear — from crying
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. current — happening now

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