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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. key — the most important part
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. roll — a cake
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. fall — the season
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lie — to recline
  18. key — in music
  19. stem — to come from
  20. fall — to drop
  21. roll — a list
  22. tear — from crying
  23. key — for a lock
  24. content — happy

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