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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wake — a trail
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bound — obliged
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. tear — from crying
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. fine — high quality
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bound — certain
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. fine — all right
  18. roll — a cake
  19. roll — a list
  20. lean — thin
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bound — tied together
  24. tear — from crying

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